A New Beginning
by nerdyprincesa
Summary: When Callie's senior year of high school starts to fall apart, can the arrival of a perky blonde change her life forever by showing her how to start over?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: This is my first fanfic and feedback is greatly appreciated, good or bad, so I know if you would like to read more! Hope its not too bad for my first try :)

7:00 am.

The alarm clock shrieks its rude wake up call as a tussled mess of dark hair stirs unwillingly, revealing a tanned arm shooting out from the covers to silence the awful alarm. Slowly Callie Torres sits up and groans, wanting nothing more than to lay back down and surpass the torture that is the first day of school. Without warning Callie's door flies open to reveal a fully awake Aria.

"Cal, come on! We are leaving in half an hour." Aria glances over at the still form of Callie, who had retreated under her covers once more. "Get up!"

After no response comes from her sister, Aria makes her way to the bed and leans in close to Callie's ear. "I know you can hear me. So don't make me get the water. I promise it will be very, very cold."

Callie silently weighs her options and chooses to sit up slowly to avoid a second rude, and very cold wake-up call. Glaring at Aria she groans and pushes her hair out of her face.

"Why so early, Aria? Can't I have just ten more minutes? Or just five?"

Aria sighed and smiled while pulling Callie out of the bed against her sister's will.

"What's that saying? The early bird gets the hot guy?" Aria winked and pushed Callie towards the mirror. "But you are gonna want to brush that bird's nest of yours and wipe away that very attractive drool."

Aria giggled and moved to Callie's closet as Callie hurriedly wiped away the thin line of drool streaked across her face and began to brush her messy hair.

"How about this one?" Aria emerged from the closet holding up a deep purple v-neck shirt.

"Aria, don't you have anything better to do than play dress-up Callie?" Callie grumbled and began to rid herself of her pajamas, wishing that this was all a bad dream.

Aria disappeared into the closet once more only to return with the purple shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans.

"Nope, so put this on and stop complaining. It's your first day as a senior...you have to show everyone how bad-ass and gorgeous you are."

Callie decided to give up and pulled the outfit on to satisfy Aria. Obviously pleased with her choice, Aria nodded approvingly.

"Whew Cal! You'll get plenty of attention from those hot guys!"

Callie stared at herself in the mirror realizing that the low cut of the shirt allowed a glimpse of her tanned breasts. She knew she looked good, but she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

"Aria, I don't want any attention from guys. I'm already in a relationship. You know that. And I'm perfectly happy."

Aria rolled her eyes and mumbled something under her breath before adding, "Yeah, yeah, but George hardly counts as a good relationship. And he's definitely not hot."

Callie shot her a look of anger and Aria shrugged in defense. "What? I'm just saying."

She adjusted her shirt to cover her chest and pointed to the door, indicating she wanted Aria to leave.

"George may not be your idea of 'hot' Aria, but I think he's perfectly acceptable. You know looks don't matter to me. Some people aren't as shallow as you are."

Aria shrugged off the comment and began to move towards the door as Callie disappeared into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Maybe you'll think twice about that after today, Cal." She called over her shoulder.

Callie frowned into the mirror and sighed when she heard her door close.

'_It's senior year. This is it. This is my last chance to polish my grades for those college applications. My last chance to make things right with George. My last chance to prove that I can make it, that I'm not falling apart completely. '_

George. Callie and George had been dating for almost half a year and things had started to get shaky. Callie loved him, that much she was sure of. But lately she felt like she wasn't getting that same love in return anymore. It wasn't a physical love, no. They were both still virgins, as far as Callie was concerned. But it was a love that made her feel safe, made her feel like she belonged. Over the summer she felt that love start to dissipate. George hardly saw her all summer while he was on vacation with family in California and he made little effort to stay in touch with her while he was gone. She knew their relationship was moving towards an end at a dangerously quick speed, but she chose to ignore it. She didn't want to think of losing George now. So she ignored it, pushed the thought of it far back into her mind, willing it to not show itself again. She was determined to make this year different. To find a way to hold onto him.

As Aria pulled into the parking lot of the school, Callie could see her best friend leaning up against his car, grinning at her approach. Mark. She was so excited to see him again. They spent the first half of summer seeing each other everyday at the pool where they both worked as lifeguards. He made work fun, despite his man-whore jokes about Callie in her bathing suit. But later in the summer he had to fly to New York to spend time with his father. Since his parent's divorce he kicked his flirting into high gear. Callie knew he was only doing it to hide his feelings. He had always been a charmer with the ladies, but over the summer he had been with more girls than Callie cared to think about. He tried to make himself seem better off without his father, but Callie knew it was tearing him up inside. They talked long nights about everything and the true Mark shone through only to her. She couldn't wait to see what flirting skills he had acquired over the summer.

Jumping out of Aria's car as soon as she stopped, Callie ran to Mark, his arms open for her. She hugged him tight and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Hey sexy," Mark's eyes traveled down Callie's toned body and he whistled. "Torres, are you sure O'Malley is still cutting it for you?"

"Yeah, she's sure." Callie heard a small voice answer Mark before she could and saw George approach them, glaring at Mark. "Hey, Cal." He smiled and kissed Callie quickly on the cheek before hurrying off.

"I'm sorry, but I have to, uh, go check on my schedule. I'll see you at lunch?"

Callie frowned and nodded. "Sure."

George avoided her eyes and walked quickly into the school, leaving Callie stunned. Mark shook his head and huffed.

"Everything alright with you two, Cal? Nothing got any better I'm guessing?"

Callie shrugged and pretended that George's lack of attention didn't have any effect on her. "Yeah. We are alright." She feigned a smile to assure Mark.

"You find anyone in New York?" She asked, trying to distract Mark from the hurt starting to spread over her face.

Mark raised his eyebrows and smiled slyly. "Of course. No girl can resist this," Mark waved his hand over his body and Callie rolled her eyes.

"Right. You know, I can't wait for the day when a girl does turn you down, so you're ego can shrink a size or two." Callie laughed as Mark feigned hurt.

"Right Torres, the day that happens is the day that you become a lesbian."

Callie screwed up her face in disgust, "Um, that will never happen."

"Exactly," Mark grinned widely and chuckled just as the bell signaled for them to move to class.

Callie and Mark found Cristina sitting at a desk in the back of the room and moved to join her. Homeroom to Callie was her favorite class simply because it was pointless. It was held every morning to make daily announcements. She knew that is was a waste of ten minutes, but she was happy to have time to talk to her friends every morning. Sitting next to Cristina she smiled and waved a hand in front of her face to bring her out of her daydreaming. Callie smirked as she considered the idea that Cristina was probably already missing her tequila.

"Cristina, you there?"

Cristina snapped her head towards Callie, seemingly agitated that her wonderful daydream had been interrupted. "Yeah, I'm here. Unfortunately."

Callie chuckled and rested her head in her hands. "Is there anything I can do to make it better"

Cristina grinned, "Do you have tequila?"

Callie shook her head, her suspicions confirmed. "No, but-"

"Then no." Cristina's grin disappeared as her eyes glazed over as she went back to her tequila laced daydreams.

Turning away from Cristina, Callie caught the eye of a small blonde walking into the room looking slightly shaken, but confident none the less. Transfixed by the beautiful shade of the girl's eyes, Callie found herself staring. The blonde smiled, a smile so bright that Callie felt her breath hitch unintentionally, surprising herself. As the blonde made her way towards the empty seat beside her, Callie felt her heart start to race, confused as to why she was responding this way. Before she could return the girl's smile, Mark approached the blonde with a charming grin, extending his hand in greeting.

"Mark Sloan. Does God know that one of his angels is missing?"

Callie rolled her eyes and couldn't help but to giggle at Mark's cheesy pick up line. Her laughing ended quickly though when she felt agitation rise in her chest as her view of the smiling girl was obstructed by an over-confident Mark. She watched with amusement and sheer surprise as the curly-haired blonde smiled uncertainly at Mark and chose not to to return the offered handshake. Clearly amused by Mark's attempt to win her over, the girl walked around him and sat down next to Callie. When she noticed Callie staring she offered another smile and an introduction.

"Hi there. I'm Arizona Robbins," the blonde's eyes shone even in the dim light of the classroom lights.

Callie fought to return the smile as the cheerful voice of this Arizona invaded her thoughts and deafened her ears to all other sound.

"Callie, Callie Torres." Callie began to freak out internally, questioning her sanity as she caught herself thinking that this girl was beautiful. '_Callie, what the hell? She is not beautiful, you cannot call her beautiful. That is so off limits.'_

Despite her internal scolding, she continued to watch the blonde intently as she started speaking again.

Without needing prompting, Arizona offered the answers to the questions that she had been accustomed to hearing at the start of every new school.

"I'm new here. Just moved from Florida." Callie finally managed to form a smile and calm the ringing in her ears that resonated with Arizona's voice.

"Well, Arizona, it's nice to meet you. It must suck having to finish your high school here, huh?"

Arizona shrugged and kept the dazzling smile on her face. "Actually, its not so bad. I'm used to it. My father is in the military."

At this Mark scrunched his nose. An army brat. '_No wonder she thinks she is too good for me._'

Callie smiled sympathetically at Arizona and shrugged. "Well if you need help getting around here or anything then I'll help you. You can sit with my friends and I at lunch. Although, it seems you have already met one of them." Callie glanced pointedly at Mark and he smirked. Arizona laughed and Callie thought her heart would stop at hearing such a beautiful sound. '_What is wrong with me?_'

"Yeah, he's a charmer." Arizona giggled. "But I'm not his type."

Mark huffed and puffed his chest out cockily. "Every girl is my type darling."

Arizona shook her head slowly and winked. "I promise you, I'm not."

Callie caught a glimmer in Arizona's cerulean eyes as the blonde turned to look at her once again, done with entertaining any of Mark's thoughts of hooking up with her.

The bell sounded and Callie stood, throwing her backpack carelessly over her shoulder.

'_Back to another boring year of classes.'_

"Where are you headed Arizona?"

The blonde glanced at her schedule and looked back up to the raven-haired beauty looking at her expectantly.

"Becker for English."

At this Callie extended her hand and smiled, hoping the blonde would accept her offer.

"Me too. Come with me."

When Arizona allowed Callie to help her up, she felt her hand tingle as it met the warm, tan hand of Callie. She tried desperately to stand without staring into the Latina's caramel eyes for fear of losing all coherent thoughts. Callie Torres certainly was stunning, but Arizona was not about to let her guard down this early on. She had been hurt too many times before when people found out that she was a lesbian. At this new school she had a chance to start over. A chance to make new friends that didn't know the truth and could look at her without gossiping or giving her nasty looks. For now she was happy that this Callie Torres was willing to help her through the day. But she knew already that this was going to be an interesting year...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: I am very excited about the feedback I have received for this story so I will continue to write as long as everyone wants me to. Reviews 3

Chapter 2

Callie felt herself quickly losing interest in what the teacher was saying. It was the same every year: welcome to my class, these are my rules, this is what I expect from you...blah, blah, blah. She glanced casually over at Arizona seated to her left and found her blue eyes dancing as the teacher rattled off a list of books that they would be reading throughout the year. Callie then turned to Mark who was seated on her right, only to find him staring across her at Arizona. She caught his attention and raised her eyebrows in question. He smirked at her and she leaned over to whisper to him discretely.

"Give up, Mark. She's not into you. Like she said already, she's not your type." Callie hissed quietly.

She had watched too many girls be manipulated my Mark Sloan and they always wound up hurt. One girl in particular had been burned badly by Mark; Addison Montgomery. Addison and Callie had grown up together, becoming best friends at a very early age. She had dated Mark, against Callie's warning, and just like every other girl, she got hurt. They had been dating for a little more than a year when she found out that Mark had cheated on her with not one, but several girls. Callie had never seen Addison so upset as the day that the showed up on Callie's doorstep with her eyes red and puffy, her striking red hair flattened against her head from the pouring rain, and her face streaked with tears and mascara. She stayed at Callie's house for a week before deciding that it would be best for her to leave Seattle and move in with her mother who lived in Chicago. Callie hated Mark for making her lose her best friend. She hated that he had cheated on her, but she knew it was going to happen eventually and after Addison left, she gradually went back to being friends with Mark, although she could never forgive him for hurting Addison like he did. For some reason, she felt like she wanted to protect Arizona from Mark so she didn't end up like Addison, even though she got the feeling that Arizona would be able to take care of herself when it came to Mark.

Mark scoffed and continued to stare at Arizona, ignoring Callie's deterring words.

"Blondie just doesn't know what she wants. Just watch. She'll be begging for me by the end of the day."

This time is was Callie's turn to scoff. "Mark, please," her voice started to rise ever so slightly. "I could get a date with her before you could."

Arizona turned to Callie as she said this and before she could say anything the teacher interrupted.

"Miss Torres." Callie sat up straight and met the teacher's eyes. "Is there something you would like to share with everyone?"

A crimson blush quickly colored Callie's cheeks and she shook her head. "No sir. I'm sorry."

She felt Arizona's inquisitive eyes staring at her and she looked down at her desk purposefully to avoid her gaze. The teacher went back to addressing the class and Mark grinned smugly at Callie.

"I'd bet you couldn't." He teased and Callie continued to look down, not wanting a repeat of the embarrassment that she was just beginning to get over. "Sorry Cal, but I'm hotter." Mark winked and watched as Callie just shook her head.

Arizona watched Mark hassling Callie and as much as she knew that she should stay quiet, she couldn't help but to lean over and interject her opinion.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Mr. Sloan."

She winked and Callie felt her mouth drop open slightly as she looked to Arizona, smiling shyly. Mark turned away to lick his wounds and undoubtedly think of another way to win over the stubborn blonde.

Before Callie could respond to Arizona's comment the bell rang and she watched as the blonde hurried out of the room to her next class without so much as a goodbye.

Walking down the hall beside Callie, Mark replayed the scene in his mind and shook his head in confusion.

"Did she really say that?" He looked to Callie for an answer and when she offered non he continued to speak. "I mean, does she really think YOU are hotter than ME? AND she would date you before she would date me? You aren't even a guy!"

Callie slapped Mark's chest playfully, not wanting to delve too deep into the possible meaning behind the words that Arizona had spoken.

"What is that supposed to mean, huh? You think I'm always someone's last choice? Or do you think that I'm just not hot enough?"

Mark sighed and a look of startled realization passed over his features. "Well you know, if that's true, then it wont be long before you are a lesbian." He grinned stupidly as if proud that he had discovered this idea.

"Oh Mark, just shut up. What is that even supposed to mean?" Callie chided.

Mark wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I said that the day that I got turned down, you would become a lesbian remember?"

Callie's face dropped as she remembered the conversation they had in the parking lot earlier that morning. Hurriedly she left Mark with a goodbye and disappeared into her next class.

"Whatever. I'll see you at lunch."

Thankfully Callie was away from Mark and Arizona in her History class and she took the opportunity to sort through her thoughts. George was being stand-offish and cold, Mark had finally been turned down for once in his life, and Arizona...well, Arizona was beautiful. Callie lingered on this last thought for a considerable amount of time. Her smile stunned her, her laugh made her heart stop, she was different. Callie quickly started to become angry with herself for thinking these thoughts. Why could she not stop thinking about the too-perky blonde with the bouncing blonde curls? Yes, she was the 'new kid', but she was occupying way too much space in Callie's thoughts. And the thing that bothered Callie the most was that she wanted nothing more than to be around her again. She wanted to know what it was about this girl that made her want to be in her presence. She wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh. But Callie was also deeply upset by the fact that Arizona was, well, a girl. Shaking her head as if willing the image of a smiling Arizona to leave, Callie knew that she would have a hard time sleeping that night.

At lunch Callie was reunited with her friends, happy to have something to distract her from the ever present thoughts of Arizona, thoughts that she refused to believe actually had a place in her mind. Among these distractions was George. He took a seat beside Callie, across the the silent figure of Isobel Stevens, who tensed when she watched George kissed Callie's forehead. This didn't go unnoticed by Callie as she took a tentative bite of her pizza. Mark also noticed Izzie's discomfort and shook his head. He knew as well as everyone else that Stevens had a thing for George. Callie and Izzie had been good friends before she and George started dating. But since then they had become very distant from each other and it was painfully obvious to everyone why.

The table of friends was quiet and Callie was flooded with relief when the awkward silence was broken by a perky voice that could have only belonged to Callie's new acquaintance.

"Hi there again. Is it alright if I join you?"

Callie looked up quickly, her smile meeting the equally brilliant smile lighting up Arizona's face.

"Of course. Everyone, this is Arizona." She motioned to each of her friends to give Arizona a name with a face. When she stopped speaking she noticed everyone in awe of the new arrival sitting with them as the girls looked on with hints of jealously flashing in their eyes, that turned to possessiveness when they noticed how their boyfriends were struggling not to stare.

_'It's those eyes. Those eyes and that smile' _Callie thought.

As if hearing Callie's thoughts, Arizona turned her eyes towards her and smiled brighter than ever and Callie felt her cheeks burning instantly. '_Dimples...'_ She could only see the blonde's dimples staring her in the face. They were like no other, and it made her look even more innocent than Callie thought possible.

"Um, Cal, did you hear me?" Callie barely heard George speaking over the familiar ringing in her ears that accompanied Arizona's laugh.

"Oh, sorry, what?" Callie diverted her gaze from Arizona and looked at George guiltily, knowing that he knew she wasn't paying attention.

"I asked how your classes have been?" George pouted and Callie grinned. She loved when he pouted. It made him look so young, a fact which earned him the name Bambi back before the summer started. "You don't even listen to me anymore."

She grinned apologetically planted a kiss on his cheek as she watched Arizona's grin falter and begin to fade ever so slowly, but losing none of its brilliance.

"Sorry George. They are alright. Exciting as ever," she replied sarcastically, taking another bite of her lunch.

George gave in and offered a meek smile. "Good. Anything new with you?"

Before Callie could answer, Mark took it upon himself to answer for her. "Well, she's gonna be a lesbian soon." He looked to Arizona when he said this, as if to remind Callie of the reason that would be so. Arizona returned his look with furrowed eyebrows indicating her obvious confusion as to why she was the reason.

Callie came very close to choking on her food as this came out of Mark's mouth followed by a very amused grin spreading across his face as George shot him a hateful look.

"No, no I'm not. Mark, shut up about that. You are being ridiculous."

Mark shrugged. "Not ridiculous, Cal, just honest."

Angered by his comment and fueled by the confusion stirring dangerously in her mind, Callie couldn't help the words that flew out of her mouth at her friend.

"Mark, you don't even know how to be honest do you? Sleeping around and lying to each girl that you've laid, while your faithful girlfriend is crying on my front porch because you LIED to her. Don't talk to me about you being honest."

Callie could feel everyone's eyes on her, especially Arizona's, who was surely wondering what that was all about. She watched as anger flashed in Mark's eyes, followed by hurt and he lowered his head to his food, not wanting to look Callie in the eyes. Everyone's mouth hung open at Callie's outburst and they quickly resumed eating as she looked around at them, warning in her eyes. Finally her eyes met Arizona's and the blonde's eyebrows raised in question. Callie's anger faded as the blue eyes stared intently into her caramel ones. But she refused to be pulled into the whirlpool of thoughts that filled her mind when she looked into those eyes. She knew why she was angry. She was looking at the reason she was angry. She knew it was wrong to be angry because of the girl sitting across from her, but she couldn't help it. She was confused and scared and she wanted Arizona to get out of her thoughts. Slowly she rose from the table mumbling an apology and walked away, out into the parking lot to clear her head.

Leaning up against Aria's car she ran her hands through her dark hair, trying to calm herself and work through her feelings. It was wrong. It was wrong to call Mark out like that in front of everyone when she knew how many times he told her that he really did love Addison and he was genuinely sorry for cheating on her. She should apologize to him...later. For now she wanted to just be alone and roll around in her misery. This wasn't looking like a good start to senior year. This is not what she needed to fix her. She wanted Addison back, she wanted to fix things with George, and more than anything she wanted to either clear her mind completely of Arizona or try to find out what was so intriguing about the little bundle of perkiness. Neither of which she found very appealing at the moment.

As she stood there contemplating, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder and she gasped and spun around quickly to find Arizona jumping back away from her.

"I'm sorry, I just thought I would come check on you. I didn't mean to scare you. Sorry." She gazed down at the ground and Callie saw her frown for the first time, the dimples she had been so taken by earlier were nowhere to be found on the girl's small face.

"No, no it's okay. You just surprised me that's all. I just didn't expect anyone to follow me." She reassured her quietly.

Arizona nodded and attempted a smile. "Are you alright though? You seemed really upset."

Callie found herself wanting to tell her everything. She wanted to tell her how Addison had left her here alone, how she was sure that George wasn't in love with her anymore, and how she couldn't for the life of her stop thinking about her. But she thought better of it and smiled feebly.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for checking on me though." Arizona smiled in response and motioned towards the school.

"Well, you seemed like you could use someone to talk to and, well, no one was talking in there and it was awkward and I don't do awkward. I like to talk and laugh and not yell." She rambled on and Callie found it adorable how the girl was seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was talking endlessly at a hundred miles an hour.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I shouldn't have left you in there alone. I wasn't thinking. Forgive me?"

Arizona nodded. "Of course. And I noticed we share the same last class. Care to show me where it is?" she flashed her best smile and started to walk away, hoping Callie would follow.

Callie gladly led Arizona back into the school to their last class and vowed to not let herself be distracted by this girl any longer. She was a good person, quite possibly going to be a great friend. She needed to have someone like that in her life again, another Addison. She was excited at the idea that she could have a new friend, a friend who seemed like they would listen and understand and be there for her. So as Chemistry passed quickly and uneventfully, she exchanged numbers with Arizona and walked her to the parking lot to wait for Aria.

Much to her surprise, Aria was already waiting by the car, anxious to leave. She waved her hands wildly at Callie and yelled, "Calliope would you hurry up! I've been waiting forever!"

Callie wanted to strangle Aria at that moment for calling out to her with her full name. And she really wanted to hide in a hole when she found Arizona beaming at her. "Calliope, huh?"

"Yeah, you were never supposed to hear that, so maybe you can forget you did?"

Arizona raised her eyebrows and Callie desperately tried to find a way to make the blonde work with her.

"What if I bring you, uh, donuts or something? Everyone likes donuts!"

Arizona giggled and shook her head. "That's a nice bribe, but I don't think that's a name I can forget."

Callie sighed and frowned. "Yeah, I know it's awful."

"No, no," Arizona replied quickly, "I think it's beautiful. Calliope." She tested the word a couple of times and Callie nodded, liking the way it sounded coming from her lips. "I like it." She grinned and Callie hesitated before speaking.

"Okay, fine. Just don't let anyone else know. I'm not proud of it."

"Hey, I grew up with the name Arizona. I know exactly how you feel." Callie grinned and started to walk towards Aria who was tapping her foot impatiently.

"But don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Calliope." She winked and walked away towards a car waiting for her across the parking lot.

Callie smiled and waved goodbye, hurrying to Aria so she wouldn't start screaming her name out of the window.

Callie walked into her house to find her mother cooking dinner in the kitchen.

"Hola, mija. How was school?"

"Good momma. I met a new friend, Arizona. She just moved here from Florida." She stopped at the word 'friend' and wondered if that's really what she should call her.

Her mother smiled at her and continued to prepare the food. "Well that's good, mija. Be sure to help her out, you know it can't be easy transferring your senior year. You'll be a good friend Calliope."

Callie nodded absentmindedly, lost in thought at hearing her name again, finding herself thinking back to Arizona saying her name like that.

"I will mom. Thanks." She walked off to her room to do what little bit of homework she had and to finally relax.

Later on, lying in her bed, the thoughts she tried so hard to push away threatened to burst through the mental wall she had built to keep them contained. Unable to do anything but welcome them, Callie let them hit her all at once, hoping that it would make her sleep. She was wrong. If anything, it kept her awake. She gradually accepted them to keep her from what she knew would be a sleep filled with unwelcome dreams of blue eyes and dimples.

She was going to confront George by the weekend and find out what his problem was because with all of the confusion that came with the arrival of Arizona, she needed someone to talk to; someone who should have been there for her all along. She missed him, she wanted him to just talk to her like he used to. All day she had barely gotten him to speak a few words and she hadn't seen him most of the summer. It wasn't fair to her and she was going to be sure to let him know it. And she would've had to be blind not to see the way he and Izzie exchanged quick glances at one another when they thought she wasn't looking. She would be sure to let him know that too.

She still didn't know what to do with Arizona. She wanted to be her friend, that much she had decided. But she was scared by the idea of getting too close to her until she figured her out. She needed to know why she was always thinking about her. It wouldn't be easy to be friends with her until she sorted everything out.

She glanced over at her alarm clock, 12:35 am. Closing her eyes she heard her phone buzzing on her nightstand.

_From: Arizona- Just wanted to thank you again for helping me out today. Hope I wasn't too much of a problem. And if you ever need to talk, just let me know. Have a good night. :) -AZ_

She began topanic as the reality of everything that was happening started to press down on her and she became increasingly aware of the fact that she would have to confront Arizona sooner or later, along with everything else.

Callie eventually calmed herself and picked up the phone to respond, but instead decided to scroll through her contacts to the one person she needed the most and hit call.

When the person on the other end answered, Callie felt like bursting into tears.

"Addison...we have a problem..."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: Alright, please bear with me as I am trying to push the story forward. This one starts off with a little insight from Arizona.

I hope this doesn't bore you too much...The good stuff is coming I promise.

Let me know how it is, what you liked or didn't like, so I can decide on what to do next. 3

Chapter 3

Arizona climbed into the passenger seat of her brother's car and gave him a huge grin.

"Hey Daniel! Thanks for waiting on me." Arizona leaned over and kissed Daniel on the cheek softly.

Daniel flashed a grin strikingly similar to Arizona's and pulled into the line of cares impatiently waiting to get away from the school.

"Not a problem, sis. How was your first day here, Zona?" Meet any cute guys already?" He scrunched up his face in mock disgust.

Arizona laughed easily at her brother's question and shook her head, her curls whipping around her face. "No, no cute guys." She paused to reflect for a moment before adding, "But I did get hit on."

Daniel's face turned serious and he turned to search his little sister's face to see if she was kidding. When he decided she was serious he frowned and a hint of sadness laced his voice.

"Did you flirt back?"

Arizona chuckled lightly and sighed. "No, I told him that I wasn't his type." She laid a hand on Daniel's shoulder and smiled at the memory of Mark Sloan's handsome face as she turned him down, something that he seemed not at all accustomed to.

Daniel looked visibly relieved to hear that reply and Arizona felt love for her brother surge through her. Daniel, who was named after Arizona's father, was way more than a brother to Arizona. She was closer to him than she was to anyone else. He was her older brother, but also her best friend, a fact which he continued to remind her of through his actions every day. He always protected her, even though he knew very well that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. He knew how strong his baby sister was under those dimples and curls and the blue eyes that both the siblings shared. But he couldn't stand the thought of another guy replacing him. He knew it would happen eventually, but he would always be protective of her. They understood each other like no one else could. Sometimes Arizona felt as if Daniel knew her better than she knew herself and she found it extremely comforting.

"Don't worry Daniel, you'll always be my number one guy," she gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze and he felt better as he drove home, finally free of the unreal amount of traffic pouring from the school.

As she exchanged easy words with her brother, Arizona's mind was preoccupied with several thoughts.

'_If only he knew. He really will be my number one guy...my only guy...'_

She desperately wanted Daniel to know her deepest secret, but she wasn't ready. None of her family knew the truth. The only person that every knew the truth was the girl that had asked her out at her last school, Josie. Arizona dated her for a week, two weeks before summer break, and before long word spread around the school. People started to avoid her or harass her. She decided that she didn't want it after all. She wanted to be 'normal'. She wanted to be accepted by her peers, not frowned upon because she liked girls. So she dispelled the rumors about her sexual orientation by breaking up with Josie and dating a guy for the remainder of the school year. She tried so hard to convince herself that it was what she wanted, that she was happy with Jason. But she wasn't. And it was a huge relief when her father announced to her family that they would be moving to Seattle within a week.

So now that she had a chance to start over in Seattle, she wasn't about to blow it. She would wait for a while before letting herself be known for who she really was. But when the time was right, and she found the right girl, she would let everyone know. Just not yet.

She smiled lightly as she noticed Daniel glancing at her more often than necessary. He knew something was bothering her, but he trusted that she would let him know when she was ready, so he drove the rest of the way home in silence, leaving her to her thoughts.

At home, Arizona's mother bounced around the kitchen happily as she asked the usual 'first day of school' questions. Arizona was happy to satiate her mother with the answers she wanted to hear: yes, she liked her classes, yes she wad met some nice people, and so on. Her father only briefly participated in the conversation by inquiring about any new "guy friends" that she had made. Arizona chucked at such a typical male family member question and explained to her father about Mark Sloan as she had explained to Daniel, but unlike Daniel her father only responded with a curt nod.

Grateful for the refuge that her room provided from the bombardment of questions from her mother, Arizona closed her door quietly and began to unpack some stray boxes sitting around her room. She let her mind wander, drawing on memories of the day. She realized that, unsurprisingly, the first thing she thought of was Calliope Torres. Of course. She was stunning. She hadn't been able to think of anything else except for the beautiful Latina all day. There was something promising about her, something that excited Arizona. She was tough, that was obvious to her from the start. But she felt like there was more to Callie than met the eyes. It was hard to understand her though, and she knew it wouldn't be easy to break past the girls' bad-ass front, but was sure as hell going to try.

She could tell that the raven-haired beauty was excited to help her through her first day and she could only hope that she would still be as willing tomorrow. As the day went on she noticed Callie start to become increasingly uncomfortable around her, much to her disappointment. She frowned at this, wishing she knew the reason why Callie acted that way. Yeah, the outburst at lunch was unexpected, but she had a feeling that there was something else bothering her besides just Mark's comment about honesty.

Thankfully her thoughts moved on to their talk after school in the parking lot in which Callie seemed to have have relaxed a little after discussing her name. But Arizona couldn't help but to think back to Chemistry class a short time before that. Callie had displayed mixed emotions about being lab partners with her. Arizona on the other hand was thrilled, although she was extremely careful to not let her excitement show too much as to not scare Callie away. Callie seemed happy, but resigned, as if it didn't make much difference to her as long as she want stuck with one of the multiple slackers in their class. Oh well..she was determined to make friends with Callie despite the girl's confusing actions.

Arizona continued to unpack until she noticed her eyes start to get heavy and decided to go to sleep to quiet her mind. In her dreams she saw Callie again in a way that both excited, then frightened her.

_She avoided Callie's eyes as she spoke the words that could save her or do more damage than ever. _

"_I'm a lesbian."_

_The words fell quietly out of her mouth and she dreaded meeting Callie's eyes. When she gathered enough courage to look up at last Callie was walking away from her, confusion and rejection dancing in her eyes as she shook her head, joining hands with George and leaving Arizona behind to feel tears falling from her clouded eyes. Word spread around school like wildfire, a repeat of her incident in Florida. She started hearing the snide remarks made about her, started to feel the dirty looks she was receiving as she walked the halls alone. To make it worse, her father appeared in front of her, angrily disowning her in front of her crying mother and a disappointed Daniel. _

As Colonel Robbins screamed his last words _"Get the hell out of my house!"_ Arizona sprung up in her bed and gasped, desperately trying to determine whether it was all a dream or not.

Once she calmed her racing heart and shook away the angry images of the one's she loved, Arizona looked to her alarm clock. 12:51 am.

Searching for a last piece of reassurance that is was a nightmare, she texted a quick message to Calliope and laid back down, hoping for a reply. When none came she fell asleep once more, leaving her to question if it wasn't only a dream after all.

Callie cried into the phone softly, finally letting everything pent up inside flow freely to the only person that she would let see her this way.

"I really need you back here Addison. I can't make it through this year without out." Callie finished explaining everything to Addison and listened through her quiet sobs for a reply.

Her heart sank when the answer she got wasn't the one she needed so desperately to hear.

"Cal..." Addison sighed, wishing she could be there to help her best friend. "I'm sorry, but I can't come back. Just make it these first few weeks and everything will work itself out. And if it doesn't, then I'll come to visit you. How does that sound?"

A fresh stream of tears started to stain Callie's dark face and Callie wanted to hop onto the next plane to New York to see Addison again.

"Okay, but do you promise to visit as soon as things get worse? Because I have a feeling that this isn't even the beginning of it."

Callie quickly explained how she wanted to confront George about the weirdness between them and Addison agreed that it needed to be done before Callie could figure everything else out.

"Just take it east, Cal. Fix things with George and try to be friends with the new chick. Just don't let her replace me, okay? Because then I will definitely be on the next plane there to kick her butt."

Callie smiled for the first time since the start of their conversation. "Not a chance Addison. But I'm awful tempted to do that just to get you back here again," she added lightheartedly.

Addison giggled and smiled on the other end of the line. "Just say the word and I'll be there Cal. But try and work things out first."

"Thanks Addison," Callie wiped away the tears that had thankfully slowed down and said her goodbyes to Addison. She quickly fell into a dreamless sleep, happy to have avoided the dreams that she thought would surely come.

The next morning Callie woke up with the determination to get George to do some explaining to her. She was going to be sure to not let anything stand in her way today, not George, not the apology that she would inevitably have to give to Mark, not even the blue-eyed perky ball of goodness.

Aria hurried her as usual, but Callie refused to play dress up again, insistent on the fact that she was capable of dressing herself. She searched for an outfit and decided on a white tank top with a black button down shirt hanging open over it and a pair of small blue jean shorts that showed off her toned legs. If that didn't get George's attention, then she didn't know what would.

Upon arriving at the school she once again saw the familiar face of Mark, this time not so eager to greet her. George was loitering around him, waiting for her to get there, although it looked like he was doing it dutifully rather than being truly happy to see her. She approached them slowly and looked between the two of them. Mark still looked hurt and George looked uninterested even his eyes took in her outfit. She waited for a smart remark from Sloan and offered a few words of apology as he only stared at her silently.

"Mark, I'm sorry. I-"

"Forget it Callie. I get it okay. I hurt her. And you know I'm sorry for that, I really am. But I thought you were above that; above calling me out like that in front of everyone."

Callie frowned and hugged Mark, relieved when he gradually warmed up to her as she rubbed comforting circles into his back.

"I know, Mark. I know."

George cleared his throat dramatically and Callie pushed away from Mark, glaring at George as if he had no place there.

"Can I talk to you please?" She tried to keep the anger out of her voice but the disinterest on George's baby face fueled her determination to talk to him now...it was now or never.

"Uh, now is not really a good time, but-" George began to protest and Callie stopped him short.

"No George. Now is a perfectly good time. You have nothing better to do than listen to be and I think you owe this to me seeing as how you have barely spoken to me all summer. You didn't even bother to call or text me to see how my summer was going. You know who was there for me? Mark. Mark was there when you weren't. And I bet you didn't even notice."

Mark stood by and watched the confrontation, not knowing whether to stay and watch or to retreat soundly as his name became a topic of discussion. He ultimately decided to stay in case Callie needed help, because by the look of things, she was just getting revved up.

"Mark loves me George. And it may not be the kind of love that I thought you and I had, but it's love none the less. He has been the only person to tell me how much I make him smile or how excited he is to hang out with me. YOU are my boyfriend George, you, not Mark. Those are things that I should have been hearing from you all summer, but instead I didn't hear anything at all from you. Instead I spent all of my time with Mark Sloan, allowing him to make me feel like I was important, something that you obviously are incapable of."

Callie's voice started to raise and attracted stares from several students in the parking lot, hungry for a good topic to gossip about. Among the students gathering around she caught a brief glimpse of startling blue eyes and almost let herself get distracted. But she was more focused than ever and beyond the point of caring now as she let everything out at once, letting George know how close he was to losing her.

George stared at the ground like a small child being disciplined, a defense that usually Callie found adorable, but right now it only pissed her off more since he didn't bother to say anything to her in return.

"So George O'Malley, if there is something you need to tell me, some reason why you have lost interest all of the sudden, then tell me now."

She felt her anger start to dissipate as George met her eyes and she saw sadness clouding his eyes. Like she suspected, no response came from him and she felt herself crack. A tear rolled down her cheek, whether it be from anger or sadness she didn't quite know, but it startled her none the less and she lowered her voice.

"I didn't think so. But George," she wiped away the tear and started to walk off towards the school, away from the scene she had caused, "Don't expect me to hang around much longer if you don't decide what you want real fast."

Without a word Mark followed Callie into the school, leaving George to the curious stares and hushed whispers of several students.

Callie rested her head in her arms as Mark rubbed her back comfortingly, waiting for the starting bell to ring. She watched as Arizona came bouncing into the room, smiling and making her way to her seat beside Callie.

Callie glared at her and the blonde's smile faltered slightly. "Good morning, Callio-, um Callie."

The brunette scoffed and frowned. "Are you ever not so peppy? You know the world isn't all rainbows and bunnies and crap like that."

Arizona refused to be broken down so she continued to smile and wink at Callie, knowing the reason for her foul mood.

"Aww, come on. It's fun. It's actually not as bad as you think it is." Callie shook her head in response and turned away from the blonde, agitated at her bright outlook on life.

Silence filled the room as the announcements blared over the intercom and the bell dismissed them to their next class. Arizona ran ahead without Callie and Mark took to opportunity to cheer Callie up.

It was a Friday and the weekend was looming ahead, a bright light in the dark prison known as high school. He had an idea, one that was sure to cheer her up.

"Hey, Cal, what do you say we have a party tonight? My house at 8. Bring a friend," he smiled sexily, attempting to lighten the mood, "a sexy one please."

Callie thought about it for a few seconds and sighed. "Who's invited?"

Mark shrugged. "All of our friends, most of the senior class I guess."

Callie knew that Mark's house would be packed since no one ever declined an invitation to the infamous Sloan parties. Maybe it would take her mind off of things.

"Yeah, sure I guess. I'll be there." Mark grinned and led her to her class where Arizona was already seated, gazing out of the window mindlessly.

"Go easy on her, Cal." Mark nodded his head towards Arizona and Callie sighed. "I know she is way too perky for your liking, but give her a chance. She needs a friend. And so do you."

Callie agreed to try and took her seat next to Arizona, mumbling a greeting that surprisingly wasn't returned. In fact, Callie tried several times to get the girl's attention, but either the lesson was super interesting (which she doubted was the case), or Arizona was purposefully ignoring her.

When the bell rang to end class Callie couldn't help but to grab Arizona's arm and stop her from fleeing the room.

"Hey, um, I'm sorry about everything. It's been a stressful morning."

Arizona finally met Callie's eyes and enjoyed the gasp that escaped the brunettes lips. "It's okay Calliope. I understand." She smiled weakly and hurried to her next class.

_'Is she really playing hard to get?'_ Callie wandered to her next class, thinking about Arizona and how she should have tried harder. She knew what she needed to do.

Lunch was typical that day, no outbursts from Callie, no conversation between her and George, but she was pleasantly surprised at the easy conversation she shared with Arizona both during lunch and throughout Chemistry. She actually began to feel sad as she realized that the weekend was starting and she wouldn't have the chance to see Arizona tomorrow at school. Then it hit her. She could see her and talk to her some more.

While they walked to the parking lot together Callie stopped Arizona before she got into her brother's car.

"Hey, there's a party tonight at Marks. He wants me to bring a friend, so," she held Arizona's gaze and couldn't stop herself from smiling shyly, "I was wondering if you would like to go."

Arizona's eyes lit up at the word 'friend' directed at her, but she hesitated.

Callie noticed her hesitation and quickly tried to convince the blonde to go. "Aria and I could pick you up at your place. And we will take you home. All you have to do is have fun."

Arizona smiled pleasantly and nodded, hearing a relieved sigh come from Callie's lips.

"Sure. I'll text you directions. Thanks Calliope."

Callie waved a quick goodbye and smiled, liking the feeling of expectancy as she was pleased that she would see Arizona again before the day was over.

"See you tonight."

Callie knew as soon as Arizona accepted her offer that tonight was going to be interesting, tonight was going to change things. She didn't know what exactly made her feel that way, but she knew something was going to happen, whether it be good or bad. And she wasn't entirely sure that she was ready for what she would find...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: Okay, here's another. And for those of you who are offended by drinking I apologize. I am not at all supporting underage drinking, but it wouldn't be a Mark Sloan party without alcohol...

As for the rest of it, hopefully you will let me know what you love/hate about this one :)

Chapter 4

Daniel leaned against Arizona's door frame as she pulled on her black flats to complete her night's outfit. She studied herself in the mirror and nodded approvingly. Her hair was perfectly curly, the result of a quick shower, and her makeup was very light, but enough to draw out the blue of her eyes.

"You have a hot date or something, Zona?" Daniel chuckled at Arizona's nervous look as she grinned at his reflection in the mirror, evaluating her outfit one last time.

She wore a small blue tank top and a short black jean skirt, both of which accentuated every fine detail of her body. She wasn't ashamed of her body in any way, but rarely did she go through any extraordinary measures to show it off. Tonight wasn't any exception, but she wasn't blind to the fact that her shirt was low enough to allow the curves of her breasts to show just slightly and her skirt was borderline too sexy, hugging her hips in the right places and showing off her long, smooth legs.

Arizona spun around to grin at Daniel and nodded slightly, unsure of how to honestly answer his question. "No, just going to a party with a friend."

She knew how she wished she could answer, 'Yeah, I guess you could say that.' But that would lead to way too many questions and ultimately a confession that she was not willing to make to Daniel yet.

Daniel moved to Arizona's bed and watched her thoughtfully as she hung a thin necklace around her neck, letting it fall just short of the tops of her chest.

"Just be careful, Zona. Be sure to remind your 'friend' who they are messing with if they dance too close. And all those other guys at the party for that matter." Sincere concern lit up his bright blue eyes leading Arizona to hug him tightly. If only he knew that he didn't have to worry about her 'friend' dancing too close.

"You know I will. I promise to come home to you safely. Tell mom and dad that I'll be home later."

She kissed Daniel's temple briefly and flashed a sincere smile of thanks before running down the stairs at the sound of the doorbell. When she opened the door to reveal the breathtaking form of Calliope she felt her heart jump in her chest. She didn't think the brunette was capable of being any more beautiful, but she gladly accepted that she was wrong. Callie stood there clad in a dangerously short skirt and a red tank top, not too unlike Arizona's own ensemble. Her dark hair cascaded down her bare shoulders in stunning waves and her genuine smile at seeing Arizona was enough to make the blonde's head spin.

Before anything was said between the two girls Arizona heard an almost inaudible whistle from behind her. She turned to see Daniel staring at Callie, surprise and admiration obvious on his features.

"Yeah, a _hot _date." He chuckled.

Arizona stuck her tongue out at him playfully to which he responded only by raising his eyebrows.

The two girls greeted each other and Arizona followed Callie to the car where Aria was waiting impatiently, no doubt ready to drink and dance the night away with every hot guy that noticed her at the party. Mark Sloan's parties were infamous for drinks, hook-ups, and hot dancing, none of which Arizona was particularly interested in.

As the streetlights lit up the inside of the car with a low orange glow Arizona had a hard time keeping her eyes to herself. She was pleased at the way she and Callie had hit it off earlier that day at lunch and thrilled that Callie had opened up considerably since yesterday and actually seemed friendly towards her. Maybe they were going somewhere after all. Arizona smiled at the thought of it and continued to glance at Callie every so often.

Eventually Callie caught Arizona's eyes in the rear view mirror and she felt her cheeks start to burn.

"What?" Callie giggled, amused by the embarrassment that Arizona showed at being caught staring.

Arizona shook her head nervously, "Oh, nothing. Just, um, thanks for inviting me tonight." Callie nodded in response.

"I figured it would be a good way for you to see that we aren't really as boring and stressed as we may seem."

"Well if they rumors that I've heard about Mark's parties are true, then I'm sure you guys are anything but boring."

As they pulled up to Mark's house it became very obvious to Arizona that Callie was serious when she said that nobody ever turned down an invitation to Mark Sloan's parties. Cars lined both sides of the streets near Mark's extravagant house, lit up in every window, the bass of the music sending shock waves through the ground.

Callie felt a familiar wave of excitement at what she knew waited in that house. She was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to dance. She wanted to dance until she couldn't move anymore, wanted to dance until every worry she had faded into a realm of meaningless. And that's exactly what she intended to do.

She pulled Arizona along beside her into the house, immediately half-deafened by the blaring music. Arizona took everything in silently, an unsure smile gracing her lips. There were at least fifty people on the first floor, who knew how many on the upper two floors. The living room was packed with people dancing with each other, several with half-empty bottles in hand. The dining room was currently home to a rousing game of spin the bottle, a game which Arizona didn't have fond memories of and refused to every play again. Couples lined the halls making out unashamed and others were standing around talking.

Callie noticed Arizona's nervousness and needed to loosed her up.

"You wanna dance?" She started to pull Arizona with her to the living room and Arizona stopped abruptly, shaking her head persistently.

"No, no, absolutely not. I don't dance." She blinked seriously. "Ever."

Callie followed her closely as Arizona started to retreat back to the wall. "Aww, come on Arizona. It's fun. You'll love it I promise."

Arizona's eyes shot around the room nervously to the people swaying easily to the music.

"No, Calliope. I-" she sighed and brought her hands up in front of her in surrender. "I _can't_ dance. I look like a complete idiot when I do and that wouldn't help my reputation seeing as how I just moved here. So...I don't dance."

Trying and failing to coax Arizona onto the dance floor, Callie finally made her way into the crowd of moving bodies, after downing two shots of tequila, easily becoming a part of the crowd.

She moved fluidly, unashamed as her body swayed perfectly with the slow, steady beat of the music and she felt her muscles loosen, all of the stress from the summer and the past two days of school finally finding a release in her easy movements.

Arizona watched from the wall, silently praying that no one saw the way her eyes couldn't leave Calliope's body. She watched her intently, following every move that Callie made. The Latina's eyes closed as her arms rose above her head and her hips drew more attention to the sexy way she was moving. Arizona started to lose herself in the way Calliope's body started to call out to her, screaming to be near her. She looked so at easy, so relaxed and so happy. Callie's hips swayed back and forth slowly, agonizingly slow for Arizona. She wondered briefly if Calliope knew the way that she made people feel when they watched her dance. She couldn't help but to smile at finally seeing Calliope this way. She knew she wasn't as touch as she seemed. This was the real Calliope, vulnerable and free Calliope. Arizona loved it and she wanted to see more of the brunette. Her mind briefly traveled to the idea of seeing all of Calliope in her raw form, her body shivering involuntarily at the thought and she quickly scolded herself.

_'No, Arizona. Don't think those things. Bad Arizona.'_

She couldn't let herself fall into the trap that she was setting for herself by watching Callie dance. But she found it incredibly hard to stop thinking about Calliope. For the first time since they met she allowed her feelings to break her down. She was taken by Calliope from the first time she saw her. She was in love with the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way her eyes showed her true feelings, and now here she was falling deeper with every sensual move that Calliope made on the dance floor.

But she would not give herself away. It was way too soon. And all she knew was that if Callie danced any sexier than she was at the moment, then she would surely lose all the rational thoughts keeping her in line.

She kept thinking the same thoughts over and over for half an hour to keep herself from getting to close to the captivating girl dancing with several people now as the song changed to a slightly faster one.

_'She is straight, she is with George, you only just met her, you have to just be friends, you can't scare her away.'_

Arizona continued to repeat these thoughts while she watched Callie from afar, her body starting to glisten with sweat, making Arizona feel as if she was about to lose it. Her thoughts were soon interrupted, however, by a buzzed Mark Sloan sliding up next to her, his eyes glossy with alcohol and the rush of having so many scantily clad girls all dancing in the same room.

"Hey, Blondie. Having fun?" He flashed her a bright smile and offered her a shot glass brimming with what she guessed was was tequila, provided by none other than an already drunken Cristina Yang. She declined the drink politely and Mark cocked his eyebrows upon following her gaze to Callie.

"She's hot isn't she?" Mark beamed at his best friend commanding attention with her dancing.

"She...is...sexy." Mark continued, nodding and taking another sip of the mixed drink in his right hand.

Arizona couldn't stop the words that came next. "Oh God, yes. She is sexy."

Mark's eyes widened as his mouth dropped, surprised at Arizona's confession. He thought for a second and decided that it was a sober comment and he laughed at the shocked expression adorning Arizona's face at the words she failed to keep locked inside.

"I mean she's hot," she clasped her lips shut and shook her head, unable to stop the word vomit pouring from her lips.

'_Bad Arizona! Bad bad Arizona! This is what you get for letting yourself get distracted by that girl.'_

Mark continued to laugh naughtily and nod in agreement. He offered her the shot glass one more time, guessing that she would probably be needing it right about now, and as he suspected she gladly accepted it, welcoming the burn in her throat as it slid down.

When she looked back to the dance floor Callie was grinning widely at her and she smiled back softly, guilt flashing across her face at the words that she spoke only seconds before.

Still moving her body sensually, if not more so than before, Callie beckoned for Arizona to join her with a wave of her hand.

"She wants you Blondie." Mark smirked. "And _obviously _you want her too."

Arizona glanced at him nervously and he whispered in her ear. "So go get her."

Arizona argued silently with herself knowing that tequila and an overly sexy dancing Calliope was a dangerous mix and she knew that she needed to be extremely careful. But when Callie winked at her and ran a hand through her tussled hair, Arizona felt herself losing all her inhibition.

With a last look at Mark, who clearly was excited by the idea of the hot blonde dancing with Callie, she stole a long drink from Mark's cup and nodded once, feeling braver by the second as the alcohol began to burn in her veins.

Callie had noticed Arizona stealing glances at her, obviously trying hard to not be seen. But she had seen her and she felt a thrill at finally receiving some attention, even if it was only from her new friend. Seeing Mark Sloan conversing with Arizona ignited feelings within her that she had been denying existed. She was jealous. There was no denying it any longer. Arizona did something to her that no one else had ever even come close to being capable of.

She wanted to have Arizona near her and instead she watched the girl panic on the wall as Mark's mouth dropped open in surprise before offering her a shot and a grin that Callie only saw on him when he was thinking dirty thoughts. That was never a good sign. Obviously whatever Arizona had said caused Mark to think about something suggestive and Arizona was obviously horrified.

Callie snickered quietly at seeing Arizona embarrassed for the second time that night. It looked so cute on the small blonde and made her seem even more innocent than she seemed.

_'Cute? What the hell, Callie? What is wrong with you?'_

Callie had a feeling that Arizona wasn't as innocent as she let on. And she fully intended to bring out the side of Arizona that she knew was there. This was the perfect opportunity to get closer to Arizona, to know her outside the binds of school. The perfect opportunity to explore the feelings that Arizona caused her to feel. She had only known the girl for two days and she was already exhausted by the way she wouldn't leave her thoughts. There had to be a reason and as Arizona started to make her way towards her, she felt her body react to the way that Arizona was looking at her; anxious, but ready. And in that moment she wondered if Arizona shared the same problem she did. She wondered if she was as big a part of Arizona's thoughts as Arizona was in hers. She was instantly overtaken by the idea that Arizona might feel the same way and she was so ready to know the truth.

Callie reached for Arizona's hand the instant she was close enough and Arizona slowly accepted it. Callie didn't want hostility, Callie wanted Arizona to be close to her for whatever reason. Her body felt like it would burst into flames when Arizona hesitantly laced her fingers through Callie's, trying to keep it innocent while at the same time pushing the boundaries that she had set up for herself to stay away from Callie.

Callie encouraged Arizona to start dancing by taking her other hand and showing her how to move her body to the music. Arizona tried desperately to focus on the technique she needed to know rather than the person making the dance seem like sex on wheels.

Slowly Callie closed the distance between her and Arizona while making sure to not touch her. As they danced so close to each other Arizona opened up and matched the gyrating of her hips with Callie's, drawing a sexy grin from Callie's lips, a thousand questions starting to form in her mind.

_'Does she know that she is being that sexy? Is she flirting with me? Maybe its just the alcohol. It has to be the alcohol.'_

But Callie knew exactly what she was doing. She was flirting intentionally, an innocent flirting, but flirting none the less. Slowly the questions she had asked herself earlier started to become clear and the seriousness of the situation started to reveal itself to her. She finally gave herself over to the truth that she had avoided from the time she looked at the perky blonde yesterday. She wanted Arizona. She wanted to feel Arizona's body against her own to confirm the suspicions she felt as she stared into Arizona's eyes that had become a shade darker than usual.

Aware that Callie's face had turned quickly from playful to serious, Arizona started to feel an unbearable desire to touch Callie. Maybe she had figured it out. No that was impossible. She was not that easy to read.

Tentatively Arizona took a small step closer to Callie, continuing to match the girls motions. She should stop, this wasn't going to go well and she knew it. She was reading way too much into Callie's motions and she needed to step away before it turned dangerous, but she couldn't.

Just before their bodies came close enough to touch, Callie froze and dropped Arizona's hand, her gaze directed somewhere other than Arizona's eyes for the first time that night.

Arizona panicked and took a few steps away from the brunette as the girl stood frozen in place, unable to feel anything. She knew she should have stopped. She had ruined it, had taken it too far away from innocent. But when Callie looked at her briefly, angry tears filled her caramel eyes and Arizona refused to believe that she was the reason for those tears. And sure enough as she turned to follow Callie's gaze across the room, she saw what had stopped Callie in her tracks.

George O'Malley had Izzie Stevens against a wall engaged in a passionate kiss, a kiss that Arizona knew was not the average friendly kiss.

Callie was numb. She couldn't feel, couldn't see, couldn't hear. Her eyes burned with angry tears as she made her way towards her boyfriend, leaving a stricken Arizona behind, every feeling of excitement she just felt with the girl already gone. The scene before he sobered her quickly and she wanted to scream, she wanted to be far, far away from there. But she knew what had to come first.

"George." The word came from Callie's mouth just loud enough to scare Izzie and George who tried to separate themselves quickly.

"Callie, I didn't-I'm sorry, I don't-" George stammered as Callie stared at him blankly. He waited for Callie's inevitable outburst of anger, but received none.

Callie shook her head and let a single tear slip down her face.

"I wish I could say I am surprised." She stared Izzie full in the face and Izzie averted her eyes quickly. Words escaped her as her mind ran rampant with too many feelings at once.

"It's over."

George grabbed Callie's arm as she turned to leave and her anger let itself out as she slapped him hard across the wrist to make him let go. Three words let him know she was done.

"I hate you."

Callie left Mark's house immediately after the incident with George, never turning back to look at him. Aria of course was not ready to leave, so Arizona offered to have her brother pick them both up and take her home.

The car ride was silent as Arizona watched Callie stare out the window quietly. She knew she was hurting and quite possibly confused by everything that happened before George and she didn't know whether or not to speak to her.

After a few silent minutes Arizona reached over and laid her hand on top of Callie's, an action that did not go unnoticed by Daniel in the driver's seat. Callie stared down at Arizona's hand in response before turning to her slowly and offering a sad smile. Arizona could tell that Calliope was fighting tears that were threatening to spill out onto her face. "I'm sorry Arizona."

Arizona was caught off guard by Calliope's words of apology and frowned.

"No, no, Calliope I'm so sorry that happened." She searched for the right words before speaking again. "If you need to talk...you have my number."

Callie turned her hand palm up and gave Arizona's small hand a light squeeze, comforted by the blonde's touch.

Arizona knew this was going to be difficult. She needed to be Calliope's friend. She needed to suppress the feelings that she had while they danced at the party and be there for Callie while she was in pain. She was enjoying the feel of her hand wrapped in Callie's as the pulled up to the front of her house and suddenly Callie's hand was not in hers anymore.

Arizona couldn't help but feel a little lost and hurt as Callie jumped out of the car without so much as a goodbye

With a sharp gasp Callie whispered "Oh my God," and hurriedly exited the car, bursting into tears upon seeing a familiar car parked in her driveway.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: Alright, so I received so many awesome reviews that I thought my head would explode. So a million thanks to everyone for your awesome comments :D As always let me know what you think of this one 3

Chapter 5

Callie rushed into her house with tears stinging her eyes and blurring her vision. She frantically searched the wall for the light switch and when she flipped it on a low groan of complaint sounded from the couch. A shock of red hair could be seen sitting up slowly, rubbing their eyes and searching for the source of her rude awakening.

"Cal is that-" Addison's eyes came to rest on a distraught Callie standing with her arms wrapped tightly around her chest.

She immediately jumped from the couch and rushed to capture Callie in a comforting hug. Without a word they moved to the couch where Addison kept her arms wrapped around Callie's body as she shook with sobs into Addison's shoulder. Gently she stroked Callie's hair and rubbed her back until the brunette's sobs slowed and she started to sniffle.

Addison was instantly grateful that she had chosen to come visit Callie, although this wasn't exactly how she pictured them seeing each other again after three months apart. After their phone call the night before, Addison had decided to catch a plane the next morning, planning to visit her best friend for the weekend and then fly back. She almost decided to wait it out until Callie called for help, but she figured it was best to visit before it was too late. Now from the looks of things, she felt that maybe she was too late after all.

Callie eventually lifted her head from Addison's shoulder and looked into Addison's questioning eyes. She bit her bottom lip and sucked in a deep breath of air before trying to explain herself.

"George." She could only manage a single word as she sucked in another breath to keep from crying again.

"He...he was with Izzie. He's been cheating on me with Izzie Stevens."

Addison pulled Callie into another hug as the tears started up again. She wasn't entirely shocked to hear this after hearing how George had been acting towards Callie lately. But she still felt for her friend. She knew what it felt like to have that happen. She hated the feeling and she knew that now all she could do was comfort Callie until she cried it out. Silence encompassed the two best friends as Addison rubbed Callie's hair, her head now resting in Addison's lap.

Callie silently replayed the scene in her head. George's hands holding Izzie's small waist, his lips taking hers without regret, his face as she told him that it was over. That was the one thing that hurt Callie the most. George didn't seem to be the least bit sorry as he watched a tear fall down Callie's cheek. His face was blank, uncaring. And that alone was the biggest slap in the face to Callie. He felt no shame for cheating on her. Callie felt her face redden with renewed anger and she heard her last words to him echoing in her head.

_'I hate you.'_

And she meant them with every part of her being. She hadn't planned to say anything more than _'It's over,' _but George's unsympathetic look infuriated her. And now thinking back on it she couldn't decide why she hated him more: because he cheated on her and didn't care or because he ruined her time with Arizona, time that she so desperately needed. Arizona. A twinge of regret and guilt hit her as she realized that she forgot to tell her goodbye in her rush to get to Addison.

"Addie?" Callie whispered, her voice rough from crying.

"Yeah, Cal?"

"I'm so confused Addie," she was confused alright, but not because of George.

As far as she was concerned, George had right to be in her thoughts ever again. They were more than done and she didn't ever want to talk to him again. She knew that he had changed, that something in him had gone wrong. She pretended for too long not to notice the looks that he gave Izzie Stevens and she way she looked at him right back. She wanted him to want her. And he didn't. He wanted Izzie. So that's what he got and Callie felt a wave of relief consume her as she realized that she didn't have to stay up late worrying anymore about why George was so distant. Now she knew the answer, the answer she had known would be coming, but refused to believe. And now it was here staring her in the face.

Now it was her turn to move on, no matter how difficult that would be. George had taken a part of her with him. A part that she didn't ever think she could get back. But she sure as hell planned on trying.

Addison interrupted Callie's thoughts with a sympathetic answer.

"It's okay to be confused Callie. Its a lot to take in. What George did to you was not okay and it will take some time to get over what he's done." Addison frowned at the memories that she had in this particular subject. "Trust me, I know."

Callie nodded understandingly, appreciating Addison's advice that she knew she needed. But Callie was confused about Arizona. Not George.

She thought back to the time she spent with Arizona tonight and this time frustrated tears fell from her caramel eyes. She knew she was ready to know Arizona, to really try and figure out what she was hiding behind those dimples.

And for some reason she had been intrigued by the idea of flirting with he knew friend, so that's exactly what she did. But what she found surprised her and left her more confused than before. She wanted Arizona. When they were dancing together she wanted the blonde more than anything. She wanted to physically feel her touch to determine whether or not Arizona was flirting back. The way the blonde looked at her with dark eyes made her certain that Arizona liked what she saw and the fact that she opened up and danced with Callie made her wonder if she was doing it to be flirty, or if it was only a result of the alcohol.

Callie rolled over slowly to stare up at Addison from her spot in the red-head's lap. She mentally argued with herself about discussing all of this with her best friend. She needed to tell someone before she went crazy, but how would Addison take it?

Addison knew something else was bothering Callie as she watched her angrily wipe away tears that stained her face, tears that she didn't feel were sad tears for George any longer.

Callie's eyes flickered with hesitation and Addison's suspicions were confirmed. All she could do was wait patiently.

A few minutes later Addison finally decided to speed up the process, anxious to hear what Callie was thinking about.

"What is it Cal?"

"Nothing ever gets by you Addie. You know me too well don't you?"

Addison winked an affirmation and brushed a stray strand of dark hair out of Callie's eyes.

Callie didn't want to talk about it. She didn't know how. And she wasn't entirely sure that she wanted to, but if anyone could help her it would be Addison. So it was now or never.

Taking a deep breath she let a single word out. "Arizona."

Addison frowned in mock confusion and wrinkled her eyebrows. She playfully rested a hand on Callie's forehead as if assessing her friend's health.

"Um, Cal, did you drink too much? Because we are definitely in Washington...not Arizona."

Callie couldn't help the amused laughter that she allowed to momentarily shake her body.

"No, I mean Arizona. The new girl."

Addison giggled softly, glad to hear the sound of laughter from her friend, even if it was short lived.

"Yeah, I know. What about her?"

Callie hesitated once more and Addison watched her friend's face turn very serious.

"I'm scared Addison."

Now Addison was truly confused. "Uh, why? Is she really that awful? You could always change lab partners you know."

Callie wished it was that easy. But it wasn't.

"No, she's-" She searched for the right word and had a hard time deciding on the right one to describe her. So instead she let a lot of words fly out that she knew were true.

"She's different, and dangerous, and cute, and way too perky," she rolled her eyes for emphasis. "And I can't stop seeing her every time I close my eyes."

She said the last sentence with a very hushed tone, as if she was afraid to admit it out loud to herself as well as to Addison.

The red-head waited for an explanation while she tried to interpret what Callie was trying to tell her. Suddenly her eyes widened with realization.

"Calliope Iphigenia Torres."

Callie winced at hearing her full name, bracing herself for the onslaught of words that were sure to follow.

"Are you-" Addison sat Callie up and looked her straight in her eyes, searching them for the truth.

"Are you speaking the vagina monologues now?"

Callie busted out laughing and Addison shook her head.

"Callie, I'm serious."

"What does that even mean Addison?"

"You like...girls..." Addison couldn't believe that the possibility even existed, but it sure started to seem that way.

"Callie...you-" a wary grin spread across Addison's lips and Callie felt scared for a moment as she knew what was coming.

"You like her. You _like_ her, Callie. Oh my God, you like _Arizona_!" Addison scoffed, surprised that those words were actually being said.

Callie tensed and stopped laughing at the words that sounded so out of place coming from Addison. She didn't even know how to answer.

"No..." Callie whispered, unsure of the truthfulness of that answer.

"No I don't like her. I've only known her for two days, Addison."

"Ever heard of love at first sight, hun?" Addison interjected, helping her friend sort through her feelings.

"I'm not a lesbian. I'm not," Callie insisted, willing herself to believe it. "I like penis."

Addison laid a hand on Callie's shoulder and smiled.

"Cal, no offense, but how would you know? Aren't you still a virgin/"

Callie frowned at her excuse being shot down so quickly and nodded.

"Yeah, that's true. But still...I"m not a lesbian."

She felt a thousand words pushing against her every fiber, desperate to escape her lips, so finally she let them pour out as Addison listened thoughtfully.

"Arizona...she had this, this thing about her that pulls me to her. I don't know what it is, but she makes me want to be near her. I want to be her friend. I want to know her and spend time with her. And it's not because of a physical attraction, I mean she is _really_ hot, but-"

At this Addison finally spoke up.

"Callie. Listen to yourself. If you want a relationship with Arizona, then have a relationship. Don't try to talk yourself out of it." She patted Callie's shoulder and willed Callie t look her in the eyes so she knew the girl was listening to what she had to say.

"Don't sell yourself short because of what other people expect from you. Get to know Arizona and just let whatever happens happen. Don't be scared of what you don't know Callie. It will get you nowhere, and hearing you now, well, you need to do something about this. You may not know what to do at the moment, but take some time and think about it Callie. You can't ignore your feelings for Arizona." She shook her head earnestly for emphasis.

"You cant ignore those feelings, as confusing and scary they may seem, because they will not go away until you give them a reason to Callie."

Callie nodded, knowing Addison was right, as always. Her feelings needed to be set free or she would be stressed about them until they drove her to her death. She was afraid to accept that the feelings that were now painfully obvious to her, but she had a feeling that she would.

"Wait. Callie, do you know if Arizona feels the same way you do? Does she like you?"

Sure, Arizona seemed flirty, but she wasn't obvious about it. Perhaps it was only a park of her perky personality.

Callie sighed. "I don't know. I mean, we flirted with each other. At least, I think it was flirting. Maybe it was only the alcohol. But I swear I saw something in her eyes, Addison. Something that told me she was just as scared as I was. But something that said she wanted to experiment with it as much as I did. So I really don't know. I mean, what are the odds that she is actually a lesbian? I mean really, with her looks she has probably been the cause of death in several guys already."

Addison giggle and shrugged. "Anything is possible Callie."

Callie recalled the past few days to come up with a more formal answer to the question.

Arizona certainly did put on the charm several times: the first time she met Callie, at lunch the next day, and especially in Chemistry. Callie noticed how her blue eyes sparkled when she spoke to her, how she flipped her blonde hair occasionally, and how she flashed her dimples when she knew that Callie was looking.

And the party. Callie felt a shiver run through her body as she thought about the way Arizona danced with her earlier that night at the party. Arizona had insisted that she couldn't dance, but Callie thought she proved herself wrong as she easily matched her own motions. It was as if no one else was looking. Arizona had held Callie's gaze as their bodies moved towards each other. She remembered the way Arizona had laced their fingers together to dance, shocked by the effect such an innocent action had on her. It made her crave Arizona's touch. She felt a fire ignite in her that she had never experienced and she knew then that she needed Arizona.

No matter how hard Callie tried, she couldn't forget that feeling of intense need that she felt for Arizona. And now she knew...she didn't want to forget it...

Arizona laid in her bed with the covers pulled up to her chin. She couldn't believe everything that had happened tonight. She only wanted to have some fun with her new friend and the night ended up in disaster. She couldn't forget the hurt on Callie's face when she discovered George and Izzie. Arizona was shocked, and slightly appalled at herself, to find that she suddenly had an intense hatred for George O'Malley. He ruined Callie, betrayed her after she had given her heart to him. And even though she had only known Callie for a short time, she wanted nothing more than to comfort Callie and find a way to protect her from ever feeling that betrayal again.

She knew from the start that it was going to be hard to ignore Calliope Torres. And she was right, tonight had only proven that to her. It was impossible to reject the feelings that started to overwhelm her like never before.

Arizona especially felt too many unwelcome feelings as Callie flew out of the car, not even bothering to say goodbye or offer thanks for the ride. She was hurt and confused, but most of all she felt concern for Callie at seeing her burst into tears. She could only hope that she wasn't the cause of the tears that streaked across Callie's beautiful face.

Things may have gotten too close tonight, yes, she knew that. But it scared her that she was so ready to give herself to Calliope. It had to have been the alcohol, or the way Callie was dancing. Oh yes, definitely the way Callie was dancing...Callie's body so close to hers, her eyes daring her to come closer...

It made her crazy, as she had shown herself by talking to Mark. She frowned deeply at the memory of all but letting herself be known to Mark. Hopefully he would drink enough to forget everything he had heard.

But she knew that there was soon to be no way to escape the way she was feeling about Callie. And she had no one to talk to about it. Arizona wanted Daniel to know so badly, but she couldn't stand the thought of breaking her brother's heart with the news that she was a lesbian.

She was scared of herself and angry at herself for even entertaining the thought that Callie might actually feel the same way. Because she knew that when it all played out, she would lose a friend and her heart would no doubt be broken. Again.

And Callie would never go for her even if she was feeling the same way, because her heart had also just been broken by George. There was no way she would be ready to see someone again for a long time. And if Arizona admitted it to herself, she was angry at realizing that she would be a rebound, that if Callie ever did share her feelings, then she would be the rebound, no doubt used for revenge. And that would sting far worse than Callie rejecting her.

She stared up at the ceiling, wishing she could sleep, but knew that it would be a while before she could rest. After thinking about it for several minutes, Arizona finally came to a conclusion. She was going to be Calliope Torres' friend. Nothing more...

A soft knock came from Arizona's door and she quickly pretended to be asleep, not wanting to discuss anything with her parents.

"Zona?" A soft whisper pierced the silence in the room. "Are you still awake?"

Upon hearing the voice of her brother Arizona immediately switched on the light beside her bed and looked over to Daniel, his head down.

As Daniel made his way to Arizona's bed she could tell that he had been crying. She was immediately afraid of what had reduced her brother to tears. And as he looked up at her, obvious hurt and confusion in his eyes, she knew what he was about to say...

"Arizona..." That was never a good sign. He never used her full name.

"Arizona, we need to talk."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: I must be running off of adrenaline right now, because I have no idea how I've managed an update every day. BUT I am super excited to post this one and hear your opinion of it. For those of you that I was discussing the matter with, I did stick to my original plan for various reasons, even though you guys had some super awesome ideas :)

So let me know what you think 3

Chapter 6

Arizona's heart felt like it was going to break I half at seeing her brother's face so downcast. He was truly upset about something and she knew whatever it was, it wasn't good.

Daniel struggled to say what he needed to say and Arizona began to feel more nervous with every passing second. When he opened his mouth to speak she held her breath, knowing what he was about to say...he knew...he knew about her...

_'What am I going to say? How do I explain-"_

"Arizona, I'm leaving," Daniel let it out and avoided the blue eyes that were staring at him in shock. That was definitely not what she was expecting.

"Leaving? I don't under-" Arizona choked on tears that started to well up in her eyes, unable to finish her sentence.

"I..." Daniel finally lifted his head and looked into his sister's eyes as he spoke, his sister's unshod tears a reflection of his own. "I joined the military."

"I'm going to be deployed in three weeks."

Arizona was sure her heart stopped completely like it was being ripped from her chest as Daniel said this. She couldn't see, she couldn't hear, and she was sure that she was dying. No pain she had ever felt even came close to comparing with the pain she was feeling now. Death seemed like such a welcome friend a the moment that she felt herself stop breathing.

Daniel was silent as Arizona took it all in, knowing how much it hurt her and hating to see her so upset. He had come to learn that a silent Arizona was way more dangerous than an angry Arizona, and he waited for a reaction, any reaction that would be better than none at all.

Arizona started to see everything going dark and right before she could lost all awareness she released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Tears simultaneously spilled from her eyes as she gave her body over to the sobs that erupted from her.

Daniel felt his own tears start to fall again for the second time tonight. He knew this was the part that he dreaded the most. He was sold on the idea of following in his father's footsteps by serving his country, but he knew his decision would tear his baby sister apart.

Arizona slid out from under her covers and moved to sit in her brother's lap, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face into the crook of his neck.

Daniel wrapped his arms around Arizona and held tight, the way he held her when as a child when she was upset. He knew it would be this way and he hated it, but it had to be done. But he promised himself that he would come home safely to her, the way she had promised the same to him every time she went out.

"I'm so sorry Arizona. I love you."

Arizona cried until she fell asleep in Daniel's arms, never speaking a words, thinking that maybe if she slept through her pain, she would wake up and it would all just be a bad dream, hoping that if she held onto him forever then he wouldn't leave.

Callie woke up slowly as a dim, gray light started to stream in through the windows of her large living room. She was confused as to why she was on the couch until she saw Addison laying on the couch across from hers and last night came flooding back to her.

She laid still and let her mind wander, not ready to get up and start her day yet. When she closed her eyes she saw Arizona. And instead of being angry, Callie found herself smiling. For once she was actually happy that Arizona was the ever present entity in her thoughts.

Next she smiled over at Addison asleep on the couch, one arm hanging precariously off of the side. She was eternally grateful to have her as a best friend. Because of Addison, she saw George cheating on her as a good thing, as a way out of a relationship that wasn't going anywhere. And because of Addison she knew what needed to be done about Arizona. She just needed to be her friend.

Still not ready to admit that she might be a lesbian, Callie just wanted to be friends with Arizona. If she always felt the need to be near the cute blonde, then she would. Friends hang out together all the time, so maybe she should just invite her over sometime.

Callie was suddenly looking forward to school on Monday to try out the beginnings of a relationship with Arizona. She had a feeling that they wouldn't have a heard time becoming great friends since they already got along so well in the few days that they had known each other.

'_Maybe I could go from there. See how that turns out and then decide what to do.'_

She didn't have to rush into things, she didn't have to make her decision now. But what suddenly scared her was the thought of wanting to be with Arizona. The thought of maybe one day being something more than a friend to Arizona scared the living hell out of her. And she pushed the thought away angrily. That was not going to happen. Absolutely not.

'_I'm not gay. I'm not.'_

Quiet footsteps on the stairs behind her caused Callie to turn and see Aria walking down the staircase slowly, her hands pressed against her head.

_'She definitely drank too much. Of course.'_

Upon seeing Callie watching her warily, Aria's face dropped.

"Cal..." She quickly took a place on the couch and Callie sat up to accommodate her sister.

"Callie, I'm so sorry. I should have listened when you said you needed to go. I didn't know."

Callie screwed up her face in confusion, wandering how Aria had found out about the incident.

"Addison told me when I got back last night." Aria answered Callie's unspoken question.

_'Oh, that explains it.'_

"Are you okay?" Aria seemed genuinely worried about her sister.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, its over now right? There's nothing I can do about it."

Aria's emerald eyes widened and she smiled.

"Oh, but there is! You could make the good for nothing baby face pay. Oh yes, you could do great things to him..." she smiled wickedly and her thoughts drifted to ones of pleasure at hurting George like he had hurt her sister.

This caused Callie laughed loudly, waking Addison up and mumbling something about it being so early.

Callie entertained the idea of making George O'Malley suffer for cheating on her for a few moments before deciding that she had more important things to think about.

"I'm alright, Aria." Really I am. George and I-" she frowned. "We were falling apart already. And I mean we all knew that there was something between him and Stevens, right? It was obvious you know. I just chose to ignore it. And this is where it got me. But...now I cant be held down." Callie began to feel better as she realized that she truly believed everything she was saying and wasn't just saying it to make herself feel better.

"I can meet new people, make new friends." She paused to think about Arizona and smiled. "And eventually maybe I'll find the person who I'm truly meant to be with."

Aria hugged Callie and grinned widely.

"That's the bad ass sister that I know. You'll have people begging to be with you sis. You're always awesome and you know it." She gave Callie a last hug before heading out the front door.

"I'll be back later. I have some shopping to do. Mom and dad already left for tennis so you know they wont be home until late tonight." She walked out the door calling behind her to add "Go have some fun Callie. Find something to keep your mind off of things."

Addison joined Callie on the couch once Aria left and nodded at he friend.

"She's right you know. You are awesome and you deserve better than what you had. And you could use a day off from all that thinking going on in there," she tapped Callie's temple lightly.

"So what do you say we go to the mall and hang out?" She peered out the window at the rain steadily falling without letting up.

"It's better than being trapped in the house all day." She shook her head at the rain and scoffed.

"That is the one thing that I do _not_ miss about Seattle.

Callie grinned. "Thank you for everything Addison. If you hadn't been here last night, I don't know what I would've done."

Addison raised her eyebrows and smirked. "Well, you would probably still be lying around crying about George, who is not worth crying over by the way. Obviously. Oh, and you wouldn't know where to even start with your, uh, Arizona situation."

She winked and stood to walk towards the kitchen.

"_But_, you aren't because I'm here and I'm awesome, and we are going to go out and have some fun."

As soon as Addison said this there was a quiet knock at the front door. Callie pushed herself up off the couch to answer the knock, no doubt Aria coming back to get something she had forgotten, something she does way too often.

When Callie opened the door her breath caught in her chest.

Arizona stood there soaking wet, her clothes clinging to her small frame and her usually bouncy curls flattened against her head. Her eyes were red and it was immediately obvious to Callie that she had been crying.

Callie resisted the urge to pull Arizona into a huge hug, not knowing the reason the blonde was upset.

Before she could say anything she was stopped by the look in Arizona's usually bright eyes, eyes that were now glossy with tears.

"Calliope." The one word she spoken was broken by tears and Callie felt her heart break at the apparent sadness in Arizona's voice. Today there was no smile, no dimples, no perky Arizona. Today there was only a broken Arizona, and Callie wanted to help, wanted to stop the pain that had currently destroyed the Arizona that she had met only days ago.

Arizona quickly averted her gaze from Callie, not wanting to deal with her feelings for the brunette at the moment. She was surprised that she was in so much pain that she couldn't even feel as excited as she usually did to see her new friend.

"I'm sorry. I know I should have at least called first, and maybe I shouldn't be here at all, you probably don't want me here, but you are the closest thing to a friend that I have right now," she explained herself and finally looked into Callie's eyes and broke down, tears starting to fall and mix with the trails of rain that were already running jagged patterns across her face.

"I just really need someone to talk to Calliope."

Callie nodded and motioned for Arizona to come into the house.

"Yeah, yeah of course. Don't apologize."

Arizona gratefully accepted Callie's invitation and stepped into her house cautiously. She motioned to her clothes and gave Callie a look of apology.

"I don't want to ruin your floor." She stood in one spot on the welcome mat, her clothes dripping from the rain that she hadn't expected to encounter on her walk.

"No, no you're fine. Um," Callie stumbled on her words, unsure of what to say to Arizona. She was the last person she had expected to see on her doorstep, especially in the condition she was in.

Addison stood in the kitchen watching the sad blonde look around solemnly. She knew immediately who the girl was. Her gorgeous blue eyes instantly giving her away. Even drenched in rain Addison could understand why Callie was so taken by this girl. She was indeed beautiful even with tears staining her face. Addison now knew why Callie was so nervous about this girl.

Callie turned to the red-head and waved a hand in her direction. When she spoke it was obvious that she was caught off guard by the blonde's unexpected appearance.

"This is, uh, this is Addison." Addison smiled to hide a laugh that threatened to escape her at the way Callie was acting. It was painfully obvious that she was nervous around Arizona.

"You must be Arizona. Callie has told me _a lot_ about you," she looked at Callie, enjoying the way Callie's eyes widened, already nervous enough and not needing Addison to give her away completely.

She noticed the blonde's unsure look and quickly added "Oh, only good things of course."

Arizona felt her heart soar at Addison's words despite the sadness that had consumed her since her brother's news. Callie had been talking to Addison about her, but what did that mean?

She forced a sad smile and glanced at Callie who found herself smiling back involuntarily.

"Well, it's nice to meet you Addison."

Everything fell into place at once. Addison was the reason why Callie had made a quick exit from her car last night. She thought back to Chemistry class and remembered Callie mentioning that Addison was her best friend who had moved away because of Mark Sloan. She must be here to visit.

_'That's good right because Callie is hurting. Addison will be good for her.'_

Arizona was happy to see that Callie had someone to talk to, but at the same time she was disappointed that Callie hadn't accepted her invitation to talk to her. But she understood...she didn't really expect Callie to talk to her. They weren't really friends yet, but for some reason the idea still saddened her.

And then she felt guilty as she realized that Callie and Addison probably had plans for the day seeing as how Addison was back in town and here she was intruding. Great.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt ,"she stammered guiltily.

Addison quickly looked to Callie then back to Arizona, making a quick decision to call of their plans for the day. She was not about to stand in the way of these two. They needed to be together for a while.

"No, no, no, we were just going to stay around here today. You know, have a lazy day with the rain and all. But I think I'm actually going to head out and grab some food." Addison opened the fridge and pointed inside. "There's nothing good in here. I need some real food."

Callie started to argue, feeling guilty about having to cancel their plans, but Addison stopped her with a quick shake of her head. And Callie understood. Addison was willing to give up her plans to help her with Arizona. But she knew this wasn't going to be the exciting time with Arizona that she had in mind. Something was seriously upsetting Arizona and she needed to just be there for her right now. This was her chance.

"Okay, uh, let me go get you some dry clothes and we can talk."

Arizona smiled in thanks and Callie took one last look at her before heading to her room to find some clothes.

Downstairs Arizona stood motionless on the rug, looking around at Callie's elaborately decorated house, trying to prepare herself for having to explain the situation to Callie, a task that would prove very difficult for her in her current emotional state.

Addison walked up to the blonde, trying to find the right words to say to her. She knew this was going to be important for her and Callie's possible relationship and she needed Arizona to realize the same thing.

"She's a great friend you know." Addison nodded slowly to emphasize her point.

"She's absolutely amazing when you get to know her and she has a big heart. But it's just been broken." the red-head stared into Arizona's icy blue eyes, willing her to understand what she was telling her.

"She will be there for you no matter what. But right now she needs a friend too. So it looks like you two have that in common."

Arizona was confused why Addison was telling her this, but she listened anyways. She knew there was a reason, even though it wasn't obvious. She wasn't trying to take Arizona away from her and she wasn't aiming to do anything that would hurt her. She only wanted someone to talk to before he grief killed her.

Addison started to say something more but stopped when Callie came running back down the stairs. Instead she held Arizona's gaze and smiled warmly, knowing the girl needed comforting and happy that Callie would be the one to help her, but hinting at Arizona that Callie was still fragile too, so she would need someone to hear her out as well.

Arizona didn't have much time to interpret what Addison was trying to tell her, but for some reason it felt like an invitation as well as a warning at getting close to Callie. It scared her and excited her at the same time and as Callie approached her holding out some dry clothes, she caught a look in the brunette's eyes that made her feel like maybe she wasn't the only one needing to be loved, a look that made her feel like maybe she would have a chance with Calliope after all...


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: Okay whew, this one is finally done. It took a little longer to finish because it's the longest chapter yet. So I hope you enjoy!

Let me know what you think :)

Chapter 7

As Arizona disappeared into the bathroom to change her clothes Addison pulled Callie into the kitchen.

"Cal, you were right." Addison nodded.

"Um, about what?"

"She is very attractive. And I'm not even gay." Addison smirked.

"I'm not gay Addison."

Addison shook her head and pointed a finger at Callie.

"_You_ don't know that. Don't tell yourself that. That gets you nowhere remember?"

Callie frowned. "Addison, this isn't about my feelings for Arizona right now, okay? She's hurt and I don't know why and I need to listen to her without thinking about how much I want to-"

The red-head raised an eyebrow as Callie stopped short, demanding the words she was going to speak to stay inaudible. Addison could fill in the blank with so many, many words and it made her laugh at the shock on her friend's face.

"Are you sure you aren't gay Cal?" Addison snickered and playfully nudged her friend.

Callie ignored Addison's jaunting and stared at her seriously until Addison knew she wasn't in the mood to play around.

"Addison, I'm scared. I have no idea what's wrong with her? What if I can't help her?"

Addison knew that Callie was telling the truth because she had never seen her friend so unsure of herself before.

"Cal, just listen to her. You will help just by doing that. And let things happen. Don't be distracted by her 'amazingly blue eyes'," she said the last part playfully, drawing on the several times that Callie had mentioned Arizona's eyes the night before. Even she had to admit that they were one of the most outstanding features of the blonde.

"I'll be back later to see how everything turned out, but don't worry about it Callie. Be her friend."

With that Addison ran out into the rain to leave Callie and Arizona alone to talk.

Callie stood against the kitchen bar, nervously tapping her fingers on the counter. She was still afraid, despite Addison's pep talk. This was her chance to prove to Arizona that she could be 'her person.' She took a deep breath and scolded herself.

_'Don't be ridiculous Callie. Stop freaking out. You are losing your mind. And now you are arguing with yourself in third person. Great.'_

Arizona appeared from the bathroom wearing Callie's favorite pajama pants, navy with Pop-Tart characters on them, and a small gray tank top. Callie couldn't help but to grin at the sight of the blonde wearing her clothes that were slightly too big on her, but her smile quickly disappeared when she saw the pain in Arizona's eyes once again.

"Thanks for the clothes. They are...cute," Arizona smiled down at the pants and Callie blushed.

"Ya, uh, they are my favorite. They are really comfortable." Arizona nodded at this, realizing that they actually were very comfortable.

"I always feel better when I wear them for some reason. So I thought maybe they could work their magic for you too."

"Well, thank you Calliope." She started down at the ground, still feeling bad for ruining Callie and Addison's plans that they pretended never existed. "I'm sorry again for just showing up like this. I didn't know your friend was here and I'm sorry for interrupting."

Callie shook her head and talked softly. "Hey, you are just fine. You didn't interrupt at all."

Arizona looked up at her and Callie offered her arm to Arizona, who locked her arm around it happily.

Callie led them to the front porch to sit on the porch swing. Rain always helped her stay relaxed and focused, so she figured it would be best to sit outside while they talked.

The two girls sat comfortably on the swing with their arms still interlocked and watched the rain silently for a few minutes. Finally Arizona decided to speak up.

"My brother, Daniel, and I are best friends. We have always been closer to each other than we ever have to anyone else. He taught me how to read, and how to ride a bike, and how to catch lady bugs in the backyard. We would hang out with each other from the time we woke up to the time we fell asleep, and then get up and do it all again the next day," Arizona smiled sadly at the fond memories of her childhood with Daniel.

"When I would get hurt, he would hold me until I stopped crying and all of my pain magically disappeared. He would always give me donuts to cheer me up, knowing that always helped. He always looks out for me and protects me, even to this day."

Callie listened quietly to what Arizona had to say, not yet knowing where she was going with her story.

"Last night I fell asleep crying in Daniel's arms, just like when I was younger. And the irony of it all is that he's the reason I was crying. This time he was the one to cause the pain," Arizona let a tear escape her eye quietly. "And this time the pain didn't go away. Not completely."

Callie waited for Arizona to continue while she watched the rain.

"Last night Daniel told me he joined the military," Arizona frowned deeply and Callie started to see why Arizona was so upset. She was going to have to say goodbye to her best friend, even if it was only for a while.

Arizona turned her attention from the rain and stared into Callie's eyes to brace herself for the shock wave of pain that was sure to follow her next sentence.

"And he's being deployed in three weeks."

Arizona's voice cracked with emotion and Callie found it difficult to hold her gaze, hating the pain shining deeply in Arizona's eyes. To Callie's relief, Arizona broke their eye contact first, squeezing her eyes and lips shut to hold back tears.

"Oh, Arizona," Callie whispered. "Arizona, I'm so sorry." She started to trace small circles into the back of Arizona's shaking hand.

Tears spilled out from Arizona's closed eyes despite her effort to contain them and Callie once again found herself wanting to just hold her in her arms. She knew this was a big deal for Arizona and she could see that Arizona's heart had been broken at the news of her brother's deployment. It hurt her to watch Arizona fight tears, not knowing if she was afraid to release them to herself or to Callie.

Callie continued to caress Arizona's hand, trying to encourage her to not be afraid to just let it all out.

After releasing a few tears Arizona opened her eyes to find that Callie was still looking at her, sympathy coloring her face. And for once in her life she felt genuine concern for her emanating from someone other than a family member. She realized that the sincerity of Callie's concern was exactly what she needed.

Callie's soothing touch led Arizona to the emotional release that she needed and she let herself cry, feeling that she could trust Callie to see her like this. She cried until her body shook, finally realizing the severity of the situation. Callie hesitantly pulled Arizona closer to her and Arizona let her know that her action was welcome by resting her head on Callie's shoulder, instantly comforted by the physical contact.

Arizona jumped slightly in surprise when she felt Callie's hand rest on the top of her head, holding her close to her shoulder. This caused Callie to almost retract her hand, wandering if she was making the blonde uncomfortable.

After Arizona made no attempt to escape Callie's touch, Callie began to slowly run her fingers through Arizona's drying hair, an action that she often found comforting when she was hurting.

Arizona cried freely into Callie's shoulder until she no longer had any tears left. She slowed her breathing and began to concentrate on Callie's fingers aimlessly sliding through her hair. Suddenly it became very hard for Arizona to focus on anything other than Callie's gentle touch. It had an incredibly calming effect on her and she was able for a few moments to forget her pain and just enjoy the feeling of being comforted by Calliope.

Callie searched for the right words to say to Arizona as she continued to stroke her hair. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she was enjoying this contact between the two of them, but she knew not to get distracted.

"Arizona," she started slowly.

"I know this is going to be really hard on you. I mean, it already is. And I can't say that I know how you feel because I don't." Callie took a breath and started to stare at Arizona, hoping she would look up.

"But, I do know what it feels like to have your heart broken by someone you love."

Arizona unwillingly lifted her head from Callie's shoulder, not quite ready to disconnect herself from Callie's touch. She was rewarded, however, by Callie's caramel eyes staring intently into her own.

Thinking to Callie's ordeal with George the night prior, she frowned.

"How are you doing with that by the way?" She ignored her own problems momentarily and inquired about Callie.

"I'm actually okay with it. I mean, it still hurts, but I am okay. We were falling apart, and honestly it wasn't worth it anymore, pretending that we were still in love."

She glanced at Arizona meaningfully as she said her next words.

"Now I can move on." She didn't know why she had chosen to say this to Arizona and she immediately regretted saying it.

Arizona wanted to believe that Callie had looked at her for a reason when she said that, but she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Callie was straight, obviously. And right now she didn't need to deal with anything else that would inevitably hurt her in the end, and neither did Callie. But regardless, she offered a smile, which was thankfully returned by the brunette.

"You are stronger than I am." Arizona's previous grin was replaced by a frown.

"I know that I must look like a fool, showing up on your doorstep crying. Especially when I know you are suffering too."

Callie shook her head to disagree. "Arizona, no. I actually feel privileged that you chose me to talk to. Even it I was only chosen by default."

This time it was Arizona's turn to shake her head. "No, not by default Calliope. By choice. I was taking a walk to clear my head. And next thing you know I found myself here. I decided to see you. Not anyone else. And I'm sorry if it was a selfish choice, but I-" Arizona smiled shyly.

"I feel like I can tell you anything, especially now. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but you are different Calliope. You just proved that to me. You care like crazy." She stopped and met Callie's eyes shyly. "And I love that about you."

Callie felt her heart skip and she couldn't stop looking into Arizona's eyes, pulled in by the bright blue that shone through when she said those words.

Those eyes. Crap those eyes were going to be the death of her.

_'Look away, Callie, look away.'_

This wasn't a good time for her undetermined feelings for Arizona to surface again. But of course, here they were, revealing themselves to her the longer she stared into Arizona's eyes.

She just couldn't look away because Arizona's eyes were...hopeful...but afraid. They were a mirror image of Callie's emotions and just like that a connection was formed between the two friends. A connection that neither had ever felt before. They trusted each other and knew that they were loved. And Callie knew without a doubt that she wanted to give Arizona a chance. It would be a leap into the dark, but she felt it going somewhere, if nothing more than a lifelong friendship.

"Well, I promise that you can always talk to me. Anytime you need to talk just let me know and I'll be there to listen. I know your pain isn't even close to being over and you'll need a friend. And I want to be that friend for you Arizona." Callie whispered her confession and waited for Arizona's response.

"Calliope, you already are that friend." Arizona smiled, a genuine smile that revealed her dimples to Callie for the first time that day.

Callie was relieved to see Arizona's smile and for once she allowed herself to get lost in Arizona's dimples, starting at them unashamed. She was happy to see that Arizona was forgetting her sadness and looking ahead, but she was even more thrilled that Arizona thought of her as a friend already. This was going to well and she couldn't wait to tell Addison.

"So thank you, Calliope. Thank you for being there."

She looked out at the rain and thought about Daniel, sighing deeply.

"It's so hard. I don't want him to leave, Calliope. I'm not going to know what to do without him. He has my heart and now...now he's leaving and taking it with him to Iraq."

She wanted to cry again, but she refused to let the tears ruin her strength any longer. She was going crying, at least for now. It wasn't like Daniel was dying or anything, and she was grateful for that, and she took comfort in knowing that he would come home eventually.

"I really am proud of him for being so brave. He always pretended to be a brave soldier like our father, marching around in the backyard in an over sized uniform and a water gun strapped to his back." She giggled slightly at the memory of her blue eyed, blonde haired brother pretending to save her from all the enemies.

Callie watched as Arizona's look became pained and distant and she felt her brief happiness slip away.

"Calliope...if something happens to him-" she couldn't finish that thought. She refused to. It hurt more than she could bear.

"He will be alright Arizona. He knows that you love him and he will be sure to come back to you. He does have your heart after all, so he has to bring it back to you." Callie chose her next words carefully, hoping to be positive for Arizona.

"If you think about it, he's doing this to protect you, just like he did when you guys were little. He is protecting you, protecting the ones he loves, and protecting his country. And he's brave to do that. I know it hurts so badly right now and you may not want to believe it yet, but he is doing it because he loves you Arizona."

Arizona was amazed at Callie's words of comfort, at the ease at which she was able to reassure her, and she couldn't do anything other than pull Callie into a hug, wrapping her arms around her for the first time. Callie returned the hug and tried to contain her excitement at being in the arms of the one person who she couldn't stop thinking about, a moment that she had imagined for a while now. She finally was fulfilling the desire that she had for physical contact with Arizona. And the feeling was intoxicating.

When they finally pulled away from each other Arizona was smiling, much to the pleasure of Callie who was smiling as well. Apparently they both enjoyed the hug and felt much better after it.

Arizona was happy. She couldn't believe that an hour ago she had been standing on Callie's front porch, completely vulnerable and now here she was, happy. Oh yes, Calliope Torres certainly was different, it was extremely clear now. She needed this girl in her life, no matter what kind of relationship they would have. If she could make her feel this happy by only talking with her through her emotions, then she was worth a second look. She could only hope that maybe one day Callie would feel the same way.

Relieved that the weight of the situation with her brother was lifted from her chest, Arizona was ready to move on.

For the next several hours Callie and Arizona sat on the swing, talking about the past and the future. Callie listened to several stories about Arizona and Daniel and it became increasingly obvious why Arizona was so upset about her brother leaving. She truly did love him more than anyone else in the world and she was sure that he shared that same love for her.

It was so easy to laugh with Arizona that it surprised Callie. She found herself loving every second of her time with Arizona, all of her nervousness gone.

_'Is it really this easy? Can this really be true?'_

Callie giggled as Arizona made a comment about her Pop Tart pajamas and she watched as Arizona's blonde curls bounced with her laughter. It truly was adorable to her the girl laugh.

Yes, she knew what was happening. Mark's prediction was on the verge of coming true. But Callie stopped that thought. She wasn't ready. She didn't want another relationship, and no matter how charming Arizona was, she wasn't sure that she ever wanted a relationship with a girl. That's not who she was. But she thought back to Addison's words of advice, encouraging her to not let that stop her, to not be afraid of what she didn't know.

Maybe one day she would be ready. Maybe one day she would start over, a new beginning.

Meanwhile, Arizona was trying hard not to fall for Callie. It was too soon, way too soon. But she couldn't ignore the way she was starting to feel about her. Things were so easy and comfortable with her.

_'You have to stop Arizona. You are going to get yourself hurt again.'_

As they were talking Callie watched a navy blue Mustang pull up to the front of her house, coming to a slow stop and Arizona's eyes lit up.

A tall blond stepped out from the car and waved to Arizona, relief apparent on his face. He hurried out of the rain and approached the porch while Arizona stood to greet him with a hug.

Callie immediately knew who it was as he bore a striking resemblance to Arizona, right down to his curly hair and bright blue eyes.

"Zona, you really had me worried. I figured I would find you here though. Don't you have your phone?" He looked her up and down to make sure she was okay to find nothing but a genuine smile on her face. He missed that smile and he was thankful to see it again after last night.

Arizona frowned and looked at her phone lying under the swing. "I had the volume turned off and I haven't looked to see if anyone tried to call. I'm sorry Daniel."

Daniel's eyes shifted to Callie and she stood to greet him.

"Hi, I'm Callie." She smiled and extended her hand.

Daniel took her hand and shook it lightly, a smile crossed his face and Callie was surprised to see the same dimples that Arizona often flashed.

"Daniel." He nodded in recognition. "You are the girl from the other night, Arizona's friend. I gave you and Zona a ride home from the party."

Callie blushed at the memory of her rude exit. "Yeah, thank you for that. I'm sorry for running out without thanking you. I was kind of upset. It was a rough night." She laughed lightly and Daniel shrugged.

"I know what you mean. I hope you are alright now though."

Callie nodded and looked to Arizona. "Yeah, I'm a lot better."

Daniel noticed Callie's look and also turned to look at his sister, who was smiling back at Callie. Ah, yes something was going on.

"Zona, mom and dad are expecting us home soon. They are just as worried as I was. So call them as soon as we leave please."

Arizona hated to go, but she didn't want to keep her brother or her parent's waiting.

"Calliope, thank you so much for today. It really meant a lot." She moved to give Callie a hug and Callie closed her eyes as she made contact with Arizona once more.

"I meant everything I said. If you need me, I'm here. Don't forget that."

Arizona flashed her a grin as she started to follow Daniel to the car. "I certainly won't forget that, Calliope." She winked and Callie grinned very widely, flashing her best smile.

She was truly happy for once and she was ready to keep this feeling alive. She waved a goodbye to Arizona and walked inside to wait for Addison to come home.

When she went to the bathroom she found Arizona's clothes sitting on the sink, no longer wet from the rain.

She remembered then that Arizona was still wearing her clothes and she smiled giddily.

Her phone buzzed and a text popped up on the screen.

_From: Arizona- I'm so sorry I forgot that I am wearing your clothes. I'll bring them back on Monday. Sorry. And thanks again Calliope. I needed that. -AZ_

Callie responded and was secretly excited that Arizona was still wearing her clothes, especially her favorite pajama pants that had looked so incredibly cute on the blonde.

Realization hit her like a brick and she felt a smile start to spread across her face. Arizona Robbins would be in her dreams tonight, and for once, she wasn't scared. She was excited.

The front door flew open and Addison pushed her way inside carrying several bags full of food. Callie hurried to help her carry in all the goods and smiled upon realizing that everything was junk food. Of course Addison would buy all junk food, she was the only person that Callie knew who could eat as much crap as she wanted and still maintain a wonderful figure.

Among the various items were several boxes of Pop Tarts and Callie grinned, thinking back to Arizona and her pajama pants.

Addison caught Callie's grin cleared her throat.

"So...how did it go?"

Callie looked at Addison and continued to grin.

"You were right Addison." Addison took Callie's smile as a good sign and laughed.

"Well of course I was. I'm always right." She grinned sarcastically. "But what was I right about?"

"About Arizona. You were right about Arizona. I can't ignore my feelings for her..."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: Despite last night's events, I was able to pull this one off in time. Surprisingly, it's the longest chapter yet. So please let me know what you think and please forgive any mistakes because I am running off of very few hours of sleep.

Tell me what you love/hate 3

You guys always make my day (:

Chapter 8

Addison and Callie made their way to Callie's bedroom and threw themselves onto the bed with pop tarts in hand. Callie was excited to tell Addison about her day and the new ideas that she had.

"So...tell me everything." Addison ripped open a package of pop tarts and got ready to listen to Callie's story.

"Well, we talked about everything. But she was so upset because her brother just joined the military and he is being deployed to Iraq in three weeks."

Addison frowned. That was heavy stuff.

"She's really close to him, to Daniel. And she's taking it very hard." Callie thought back to Arizona's endless tears and it tugged at her heart to remember her like that.

"She told me about their childhood and about how he has always been there to love her and protect her. And that he is taking her heart with him to Iraq." Callie looked around her room to keep her from getting distracted.

Addison swallowed her pop tart hard and stopped eating. She felt bad for the blonde even though she didn't even know her. She couldn't imagine the way Arizona must be feeling. She remembered when she had to leave Callie and she felt like the world was coming to an end, and she was still in the country. She knew it must be hard for Arizona to accept that her brother was leaving for another country to fight a war.

"But eventually I helped her through it. And I know that there will be so many more tears before it's all said and done, but at least I got her to smile today."

Addison grinned knowingly. "So, if yo managed to cheer her up, I'm guessing you talked about more than just her brother today?"

Callie felt a smile form on her lips.

"Yeah, we talked about a lot. She let me know about all of the places she has lived and the people she's met. I told her she was lucky that she got to move around so much because I've been stuck here all my life. But she wasn't that excited, she said it never gives her time to really make good friends with anyone."

Addison caught the way Callie's eyes lit up at this. "You are her first good friend huh?"

Callie nodded. "I guess you could say that. We hit it off pretty easily. She's so easy to talk to and she made me laugh without even trying."

Callie looked at Addison and saw her knowing look.

Addison took a bite of her pop tart and shrugged.

"Told you so."

Callie rolled her eyes at Addison's comment and laughed.

"Yeah, I know. I told you that you were right all along. And Addison," Callie looked Addison straight in the eye to give her courage to say what she was thinking.

"I think...I want to-" Callie couldn't find the right words.

"I don't want to ignore my feelings for Arizona. I can't ignore them and today I realized that I don't want to."

Addison dropped her pop tart and clapped, excited that Callie finally admitted her feelings were there to stay. She jumped up from the bed, surprising Callie and started to dance around the room.

Callie stared incredulously and started to laugh.

"Addie, what are you doing?"

Addison finally dropped back onto the bed next to Callie and smiled.

"I'm so proud of you Calliope Torres." She pulled Callie into a hug and squealed with excitement.

"See, this is what you needed. You finally see that you need to look past gender and give yourself a chance with someone." Addison beamed at Callie.

"This could be the start of something great, Callie." Addison offered a pop tart to Callie in celebration and Callie gladly accepted.

"What are you going to now?" Addison flipped onto her back and stared up at the ceiling while Callie stared at her wall.

"I don't really know. I mean, I want to figure things out with Arizona, but I don't know how she feels. And I'm still not sure how I feel and-"

Addison quickly sat back up, startling Callie.

"NO. That is not good enough Callie."

Callie blinked in surprise and Addison turned Callie to face her.

"We are going to put an end to that _right now_. Its okay to not know how Arizona feels, but you will never know how she feels until you figure your own feelings out. So...let's get that straight first."

Callie nodded and sighed. She couldn't believe that she was even having this conversation with Addison. A few weeks ago she would have never considered the idea of her and George not being together anymore. And never in her lifetime had she ever considered the possibility of having feelings for a _girl_. But now...now things were changing.

"Okay, um, where do we start?" Callie was ready. She was ready to figure things out, tired of not knowing.

Addison closed her eyes to listen.

"Start with Arizona. What you like about her, what you don't like about her. And we will go from there."

Callie laid down beside Addison and prepared herself to sort through the mess of thoughts and feelings that were leaving her blinded with confusion and anticipation.

"Well...Arizona is, like I said before, different. She isn't like most people out there. She is perky and confident and funny."

"I guess I like all of that about her. I like that she makes me smile, that she cares for her brother so much, and that life is important to her. She knows her boundaries and she sticks to her priorities and she's...she's amazing."

Addison was content, knowing that Callie was headed in the right direction.

"She has these amazing blue eyes and her smile, she has this super magic smile." Callie couldn't stop from smiling at the thought of seeing Arizona's smile, the smile that made her heart soar every time she saw it.

"And she has these dimples. They are so...so hard to ignore. They are really cute and fitting on her. It just radiates her smile even more than I thought possible. And her whole body personifies what she is all about. Even her hair bounces like her personality."

Callie chuckled lightly and found herself happy to be thinking about Arizona and finally getting all of her thoughts out in the open, even though they sounded foreign coming from her lips.

If Addison hadn't know any better, she would have thought Callie had completely lost her mind at hearing her best friend talk about a girl like this. But she had a feeling that this was going to be their reality now. This was happening, and she was going to be there for Callie every step of the way.

Callie threw her arms over her head and let them rest on her dark hair, splayed out over the covers.

"As for things that I don't like about her..."

Addison smiled. This was a good sign.

"Well...there's not really anything that I don't like about her," Callie paused to wonder whether or not to say what she was really thinking. But she might as well. This was time to get it all out, to not lie to herself anymore.

"Except for the fact that I cant be with her. And that I don't know how she feels. She's good at showing her emotions, but I haven't been able to figure out what she is feeling about us. She's happy to have a friend, but-"

She turned her head to glance at Addison who still had her eyes closed.

"What if she doesn't want more than that Addison? What if I am wasting my time, worrying myself about the fact that I am falling for a _girl, _falling for _her_. And shes not even interested, not feeling the same way I am about her."

It hurt Callie to think that she was wasting her time with all of this. She knew that the possibility that Arizona was feeling the same way wasn't completely out of the question, but it was an extremely long shot.

This is why she was so hesitant about even letting herself determine if she was really feeling these things for Arizona. She was letting herself become someone she was unsure of, someone she didn't know. But she was okay with that for now. However, if Arizona didn't feel the same she didn't know how long the new her would last. She wasn't ready for heart break again.

Addison finally spoke up after deciding on what to say.

"Callie. You aren't wasting your time. Obviously you care a lot about her, and you cant' let that go, you can't let her go. I know you are still afraid of what you are becoming, but there is no need to be afraid anymore. There's nothing to be ashamed of, I'm all for you giving yourself a chance with Arizona. She seems like she's really good for you and I've never seen you so happy with the idea of being with someone Callie."

Addison moved to hold Callie's hand for reassurance and Callie turned to meet her eyes.

"She makes you happy, Cal. Hold onto that and go for it. From the way it sounds, you make her happy to. So don't stress about what she is feeling. When the time is right, everything will fall into place and you will know her feelings. Don't rush them, but let her know that you are interested. And then go from there. You may surprise yourself at what you find."

Callie rolled over and gave Addison a hug.

"You're right Addison. You are always right."

"Now, tell me your final thoughts."

Callie took a deep breath and let herself say that words that she had been avoiding for so long.

"I want to be with Arizona. I like her. I...like...Arizona."

There. They were out. She admitted the truth to herself and she immediately felt relieved for not having to lie to herself any longer. She still had a long road ahead of her, but if she could realize that her feelings for Arizona were more than what she'd ever thought to exist, then she was ready to take the next step.

Addison smiled simply and opened another pack of Pop Tarts.

"Now that's what I've been waiting for hear."

Arizona sat at the dinner table, hurriedly eating her food and avoiding her parent's curious stares.

When her father inquired about her choice of clothes, she told him simply that she had borrowed them from a friend because the rain ruined her other ones.

Colonel Robbins watched his daughter carefully, trying to gauge Arizona's mood. He was thrilled when Daniel came to him to tell him that he had enlisted, but he knew Arizona wouldn't take the news well.

Her eyes were still red with hard fallen tears, but she didn't seem to be too upset at the moment. She had sought comfort from a friend that he had not yet met and he wandered briefly if she had found the comfort she needed. He knew that Arizona wasn't one to hide her emotions, she had always been the sensitive child. But right now she was as transparent as a mud puddle.

"So how was your day Arizona?" the Colonel asked nonchalantly, trying to casually figure her out.

Arizona popped her head up from her food and smiled brightly, still in a good mood from her visit with Callie.

"Oh, it was good. Sorry about not letting you know where I was. I actually just went out for a walk, but I decided to go see a friend," she smiled cheerfully at her father.

Daniel watched quietly at the way Arizona's eyes lit up when she spoke about her day with Callie. He was happy that she had a friend, but he was curious as to why she was so excited to see this girl, seeing as how they had only met a few days ago.

Arizona's mother also noticed Arizona's cheerfulness and spoke up.

"Who is this friend of yours sweetie?"

Arizona beamed when she answered her mother.

"Her name is Calliope. She has a few classes with me. She's the one who took me to the party the other night."

Her mother nodded briefly, remembering Arizona mentioning something about that party the other night.

"Well that's good. It's good to see that you are making friends so quickly."

Daniel smiled and caught Arizona's eye, to which she responded with a small grin back.

She then politely excused herself from the table and left her parent's to wander out her perky attitude that they were so accustomed to seeing. They knew that Daniel had told her and they found the two siblings holding each other while they slept the next morning. So why was she so happy right now? Surely she was still hurting from the news of Daniel's departure, but it didn't seem to bother her in the least at the moment.

The Colonel raised his eyebrows at his wife and they just shrugged. As long as Arizona was okay, they didn't care what the reason was for her happiness.

Arizona twirled her hair in her fingers absentmindedly while she sat down at her computer to check her email.

Today had gone really well. She was relieved that Daniel's leaving wasn't the only thing that she could think of all day, thanks to Calliope. She enjoyed spending time with Callie and she wanted nothing more than to talk to her again. Calliope Torres was going to be the death of her. She was beautiful and caring and turning out to be a great friend.

But Arizona couldn't stop herself from wanting more. She wanted Calliope to be hers. She wanted to know that Callie would always be there for her when no one else would and she had made up her mind. She was going to stop fighting with her emotions and go for Callie. First she needed to evaluate Callie's feelings, but after today she was hopeful that Callie just might be close to feeling the same way.

Arizona knew she was taking a huge chance and playing with her luck and her feelings, but she didn't want to suffer in silence anymore. She would take it slow with Callie, but she wasn't going to let her go. She didn't care any longer that people would talk and she would be looked down on just like she had been in Florida. She wanted Calliope. And nothing was about to stop her.

Arizona's thoughts disappeared as Daniel walked into her room quietly.

"Zona? Are you feeling better today?"

Arizona smiled up at him and motioned for him to take a spot on her bed so they could talk.

"Yes, now I am. I'm not going to lie and say that I'm okay with you leaving, Daniel. But it's getting better."

Daniel opened his arms for a hug and Arizona complied.

"Daniel, I'm going to miss you more than you will ever know. You know that you are taking my heart with you."

Daniel smiled. "Zona, you don't have to worry. I will be back to return your heart before you know it. And besides, I can't stay away for too long because I would miss you too much."

Arizona's heart sank at the thought of Daniel not ever coming home and she hugged him tighter. She knew she couldn't think that way, she would never get over it then.

Suddenly she knew what she had to do.

"Daniel..."

She pulled away from him and rested her hands on his knees.

"If you are taking my heart with you, then you need to know what my heart holds."

Daniel nodded in understanding and waited for Arizona to continue.

Arizona's heart started to race at the thought of what she was about to do, but it had to be done. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Daniel and she never got the chance to tell him the truth.

"Daniel, we always told each other our deepest secrets and trusted each other to keep them safe. And its not any different now."

Daniel put an arm around Arizona's shoulder to comfort her, seeing her hesitate.

"What's wrong, Zona?"

Arizona started to panic. What is Daniel hated her? What if he left her here, disappointed with who she really was? She didn't want to lose her best friend to the truth. Maybe she shouldn't say anything at all.

"Arizona...Arizona look at me."

Arizona looked into Daniel's sad blue eyes and her fear melted away.

"You can tell me anything Arizona. That's never going to change. And neither is my love for you. Don't be afraid."

Arizona took a deep breath and dove in head first.

"I'm a lesbian."

She couldn't believe she finally said it. She finally told her brother the truth and there was no turning back now. She squeezed her eyes shut to wait for the fallout and held her breath in anticipation.

Silence.

She cautiously opened her eyes to search Daniel's face for his reaction, scared at what she might find.

Arizona almost fainted at the sight before her...Daniel was smiling.

_'Okay...did I miss something? I did just tell him that I'm gay right?'_

She waited for him to speak and he simply wrapped his other arm around her and hugged her.

Arizona gaped at his action and her head swam with confusion.

"I love you Arizona."

She couldn't believe what was happening.

"You-" Arizona's mouth still hung open and her words were guarded.

"You aren't mad at me?"

Daniel scoffed.

"No, Zona why would I be mad at you?"

Arizona shook her head.

"Daniel...I'm gay..." She restated what had been said to see if maybe he hadn't heard her correctly.

"I like _girls_."

Daniel laughed so genuinely that it shook his body and his dimples appeared.

"Yeah, Arizona, I know what lesbian means."

He watched her face turn from disbelief to amazement.

"You're okay with that? You don't hate me?"

Daniels grin turned to a frown. "Arizona, no. I don't hate you. To be honest, I started to figure you were."

Arizona cocked her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Well, I saw the way you looked at Callie. She's gorgeous Zona. And it wasn't exactly hard to miss the way you acted around her, so happy, so...you."

He then pointed to a poster of Cindy Crawford above Arizona's bed.

"And you cant convince me that you only have that there to look at her mole."

Arizona laughed, relief flooding from her small body. Things would be so much easier now that Daniel knew the truth.

"Yeah, you got me there."

Daniel smiled so wide that Arizona instantly was happy that he knew the truth now.

"And Arizona...be proud of yourself. Don't let anyone tell you that you are worth any less because you are gay. Because in my eyes, you are worth more than anything for being honest and standing up for what you believe in."

Arizona kissed Daniel's cheek and giggled.

"Thank you Daniel. I love you."

Daniel stood to leave, a grin still on his handsome face.

"Arizona...I love you too."

He stopped before leaving and turned to look at Arizona once more, a look of amusement on his face.

"I wish you had told me before, sis. We could have checked out girls together at the mall."

Arizona shook her head and joined in on Daniel's laughter as Daniel asked one more question, serious this time.

"Does Callie know? I mean, you _do_ like her don't you?"

Arizona nodded her head unsure, Callie's face suddenly appearing in her mind.

"Yeah, yeah I think I do like her. But no...she doesn't know. She just got out of a relationship...with a guy..."

Daniel understood what his sister was saying and he offered a wink as he left the room.

"Give her time, Zona. If she truly knows what's good for her, she will come around."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: This cute little chapter is the longest yet and it was a load of fun to write. So tell me what you think :)

Chapter 9

Arizona fell asleep content that night, still clothed in Callie's tank top and Pop Tart pajama pants, enjoying the way they felt on her. She was happy. For once in a long time she was genuinely happy. She was out to her brother and Callie had made her feel much better about Daniel leaving. She couldn't wait to get back to school on Monday to see Callie again. But the hard part was nearing faster than she was prepared for. Eventually she would have to tell Callie that she was gay and that could mean life or death for her possible relationship with the Latina.

Daniel had planned a surprise out for tomorrow and she was looking forward to it, not having to hide her feelings anymore. She had someone to talk to and she was going to take full advantage of that while Daniel was still around.

Callie and Addison talked until the early hours of the morning and Callie was finally content. As she tried to fall asleep scenarios kept playing in her mind. There were so many things that would be different from now on if she really was a lesbian. She would have to tell her family, her friends, and would no doubt be judges, especially by her parents who were very religious.

But it's what she wanted. She wanted Arizona, and with Arizona came many many changes. She would have to prepare for them and ready herself to stand strong in the face of rejection. She would be under fire and she may lose friends, but she kept telling herself she was okay with that. As long as she still had Addison, Mark, and Arizona, she would be just fine.

Mark. He was right all along. Callie rolled her eyes and figured she'd never hear the end of it once Mark found out. Oh well. It would just be another price to pay.

Sleep finally found Callie as she started to replay she and Arizona's conversation in her mind. She thought back to every smile and every laugh that she shared with her and it relaxed her. She realized she would gladly give up the things that she was used to in order to see and hear that laugh from Arizona all the time.

With Arizona's soft laughter ringing in her ears, Callie drifted into a sleep filled with images of the beautiful, blue-eyed girl.

Daniel snuck into Arizona's room quietly and chuckled at the sight before him that he was so used to seeing.

Arizona was sprawled out under her covers, her blonde hair peeking out from the tops of the blanket in an skewed pattern and one Pop-Tart clothed leg hanging half way off of the bed.

Daniel walked towards the bed, planning to wake Arizona slowly, but changed his mind at the last second. He jumped onto the bed and started jumping up and down, bouncing on the springy mattress, an action that he and Arizona used to do as children and would deny having done it when confronted by their parents.

Arizona jumped up in surprise and flung the covers off of her, her hair flying over her face in a frenzied mess.

"What, what? I'm up!" Arizona looked bewildered at the sudden awakening and Daniel continued jumping, smiling down at her with his blue eyes shining with amusement.

Pushing her hair out of her eyes she stared up at Daniel and giggled.

"What in the world possessed you to wake me up like this?" She tried to put on a serious face, but a smile inevitably broke through.

Daniel stopped bouncing and just offered her a hand silently. Arizona grinned and accepted his hand as he pulled her up beside him. Together they started dancing and jumping around on the bed, both of them reliving fond memories from their childhood.

After a while Daniel hopped down from the bed and turned his back to Arizona, an invitation for her to hop on. She excitedly clung to his back, wrapping her arms and legs around his body to hold on.

They had been doing this since they were kids and she was going to miss this, among several other things, when Daniel had to leave.

Daniel spun Arizona around and listened happily when she squealed with excitement. He carried her downstairs on his back and into the kitchen.

Arizona immediately smelled breakfast and she kissed Daniel happily when she saw the table already set with her favorite breakfast, blueberry pancakes and a glass of milk.

"What did I do to deserve this Daniel Robbins?" Arizona hopped down from his back and took her place at the table.

Daniel beamed, pleased that he managed to make his sister happy.

"Oh, no reason. You are just my favorite sister."

Arizona rolled her eyes. "Daniel, I'm your _only_ sister."

Daniel took a bite of his pancakes and nodded. "Yeah, but if you weren't my only sister, you would still be my favorite."

_'Always the charmer.' _Arizona sipped at her milk and poured some syrup over her pancakes.

"So what are our plans for the day?" Arizona inquired about Daniel's intentions.

"You'll see when we get there."

Arizona clapped her hands, "Oh, I love surprises!"

"I'm glad to hear it, or else this wouldn't work at all," Daniel said happily.

Daniel's face became thoughtful for a moment and he smiled, pleased with is idea.

"Hey, Zona, why don't you invite a friend?"

Arizona stopped chewing and stared at Daniel.

"But I thought it was just going to be me and you?"

"Uh, well it might be more fun if you bring a friend along."

Arizona frowned at the thought of having to share her day with someone other than Daniel until she thought of Calliope.

Daniel saw Arizona's face brighten and he knew exactly who she would invite.

"Are you sure, Daniel? I don't mind it just being the two of us."

After Daniel insisted on Arizona bringing a friend she quickly finished eating and thanked Daniel for the breakfast.

"I'm going to get ready and call Calliope. I'll be down in a few."

She took off up the stairs, tripping along the way from excitement causing Daniel to laugh loudly.

Arizona anxiously waited for Callie to answer her phone, knowing that she was probably still sleeping.

When she did answer, Arizona smiled excitedly.

"Hello?" a tired voice answered slowly.

"Calliope! Good morning. I'm really sorry for waking you up," Arizona apologized.

Callie immediately sounded wide awake and Arizona hoped she was smiling on the other end.

"Oh, hi Arizona! What's up?"

"Well my brother has this surprise planned out for me today and asked me to invite a friend. So...I'm inviting you. If you want to go of course." Arizona was hopeful and it was obvious in her voice.

"Arizona, I'd love to, but Addison is here. I can't just leave her here alone."

Arizona made a quick decision, hoping her brother wouldn't mind. "She can come along too."

She was so excited about the idea of seeing Callie again so soon that she would find any way to make that happen.

The blonde listened as Callie woke Addison up and let her know what was going on.

"Alright, what time should we be there?"

Arizona jumped up and down with excitement and Callie laughed, charmed by Arizona's perkiness.

"Uh, we will pick you up at-" she glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. "10 o'clock. How's that sound?" That gave her half an hour.

Callie agreed and Arizona hurriedly got dressed, pulling on a small blue shirt and a pair of white shorts.

She was excited for whatever they were doing. She was going to be with her two favorite people at the same time and the thought made her smile as she ran down the stairs. Today was her day to be with Callie without being nervous, without feeling like she needed to hold anything back. Today she was going to flirt unashamedly and hope that Callie would flirt back.

"Daniel, I kind of invited Calliope _and_ her friend too. She didn't want to leave her friend home alone because she is visiting from New York. Is that okay with you?"

Daniel shrugged, that would actually work pretty well.

"Sure, no problem. You ready to go?"

The siblings jumped into Daniel's Mustang and headed to Callie's house to start their day with Arizona still brimming with excitement.

Callie looked as stunning as ever when Arizona laid eyes on her. Wearing a purple tank top and blue jean shorts she was plainly dressed, but Arizona thought there was nothing that could ever _not_ look good on Calliope.

Arizona introduced Addison to Daniel and it didn't go unnoticed by either Callie or Arizona when Addison was taken off guard by the stunning dimples that Daniel produced.

Arizona raised her eyebrows to Callie and shrugged, taking her place in the passenger seat, with Callie and Addison in the back. Soon they were off to see where Daniel had planned to spend the day.

"An amusement park?" Arizona jumped out the car before everyone else could even unbuckle, much to Callie's amusement.

Arizona's eyes shone with happiness and Callie found herself staring at the blonde's dimples again.

_'Of course.'_

Addison giggled, Arizona's infectious excitement taking her over.

This could be fun.

Inside the park Arizona was, well, like a child in an amusement park. She was so excited about everything around her and Callie found it endearing.

Callie had a hard time keeping up with the blonde, but she was beginning to get excited as she saw a roller coaster bigger than she had ever seen. She looked to Addison and the red head smiled widely, knowing Callie's love for roller coasters.

Daniel caught Callie's look and grinned wickedly. "I'll give you ten dollars if you can get my sister on that."

"Arizona doesn't like roller coasters?" Callie had a hard time believing that.

"Go see for yourself."

Callie smiled slyly and noticed the way Daniel was looking at Addison. This could be interesting.

"Okay, I'll match that bet if you can get Addison on it." Callie was smiling deviously.

Daniel glanced at Addison and nodded. "You're on."

They shook hands to seal the deal and got ready to put their most persuasive faces on.

Callie caught up to Arizona who was already a few steps ahead of them, scanning for what she wanted to do first.

"Hey, Arizona. What do you say we get on a ride together? Addison isn't one for rides, so maybe you wanna give it a shot?"

Arizona beamed and grinned. "Of course. It'll be a good way to start the day." She was super excited that Callie wanted to ride with her.

Her excitement quickly turned to dread as Callie indicated the coaster that she wanted to get her on.

"Oh, no, no I don't do roller coasters. Especially not ones that you can't see the top of..." she glared at the looming coaster before them and stopped in her tracks.

Callie frowned, but wasn't about to give up.

"Oh, come on Arizona. You'll love it!"

"I don't think so Calliope. I'm not fond of the idea of sitting in a seat that is going 80 miles an hour on a metal track of death."

Callie giggled at her comment, but continued to insist on Arizona getting on the thing with her.

She glanced over at Daniel briefly to see that he was having just as much luck as she was, as Addison was persistently shaking her head.

"Well, don't worry. You stand up on this one."

Arizona's face dropped and her eyes widened considerably at the thought.

Callie knew exactly what to do. She put on her best grin and looked at Arizona, batting her eyelashes.

"Please?" She reached out and took hold of Arizona's hand. "For me?"

Arizona gaped at the way Callie was looking at her. Was she...flirting?

That was supposed to be her thing to do today, but here she was watching Callie make the first move.

_'Incredible. This might be easier than I thought.'_

But oh, no. She wasn't about to give in that easily.

"What's in it for me?" She fired back at Callie.

Callie shrugged and started to swing Arizona's hand in hers.

"Well, you just have to have fun. But I'll be right there beside you to keep you safe if you really need me to."

Arizona's heart sped up and suddenly the idea didn't seem too bad.

Oh, yes. Callie was definitely flirting with her.

While Callie waited for Arizona to make her decision she overheard Daniel speaking to Addison.

"Or are you just too afraid?"

Callie watched with amusement as Addison's face turned from fearful to proud. She knew Addison well enough to know that Daniel's comment was all it was going to take to get her on that roller coaster.

Sure enough Daniel walked proudly towards Callie and Arizona, a victorious smile on his face.

Callie gave him a quick smile.

_'Damn, he's good.'_

Arizona took in a deep breath just as Addison and Daniel stopped next to them.

"Okay. Fine. Just this once Calliope."

Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise and Callie did the same, leaning over to whisper in Daniel's ear.

"That was a cheap shot telling her she was too afraid."

Daniel returned the comment, keeping his voice low.

"So was flirting with my sister."

Callie's mouth hung open. Was she really that obvious? And why did he seem okay with that? Did he know something that she didn't know?

With that, Daniel took Addison's hand and led her towards the roller coaster, smiling knowingly back at Callie.

Arizona pulled Callie's hand to follow Daniel and Addison before she lost courage.

As they were being strapped into the seat Arizona felt her legs starting to shake. She was standing up on a roller coaster, with nothing but a chest harness to keep her in place. She looked to her right at Callie whose only emotion was excitement and she felt her whole body start to shake. She was not only afraid of this ride that was sure to kill her, but she was even more afraid of the fact that Calliope had gotten her on the ride in the first place. If she could get her to do this so easily, then what else was this girl capable of?

Before she could say anything to Callie about her being lucky that she was on the ride, the seat lurched forward and they started rising up into the air on an extremely steep hill. Arizona panicked and started to scream. Daniel turned around from the seat in front of her and laughed uncontrollably.

Callie joined in on the laughter and tried to comfort the blonde.

"Arizona, we haven't even done anything yet. The ride has barely started."

Arizona took several quick breaths and forced herself to turn and look at Callie. She tried to give Callie a threatening stare, but didn't have the chance before the coaster reached the first hill's peak and she felt her heart drop.

She gasped and before she could let out a breath she was flying down the hill at blinding speeds. Her stomach dropped and she screamed louder then ever before, barely hearing Callie's laughter.

Arizona's eyes bulged from her head and her mouth was wide open, stuck in mid-scream. She flailed her arms wildly and felt her head spinning as she found herself seeing nothing but the sky as they turned in a loop, her hair blowing in her face. This was insane. She was going to kill Calliope the second she stepped off of the ride...if she survived.

They slowed for a few seconds to make their way up another hill and Arizona forced herself to calm her breathing before she hyperventilated.

Callie glanced over at her and found her fear to be kind of cute. Her hair was windblown and her blue eyes were shining with bewilderment.

"Are you okay Arizona?" Callie yelled over the sound of the coaster and grabbed Arizona's hand.

Arizona shook her head hard, wishing she could enjoy the fact that Callie was holding her hand, but was too distracted by the fear pulsating through her body.

"I am going to kill you Calliope Tor- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

They sped downhill once again and Arizona continued her screams and gripped onto her harness with one hand, her other still in Callie's, clinging to it for dear life. If this didn't end soon she felt like she would die. She had no idea why Callie and Daniel thought this was so much fun.

After two more loops and more screams from Arizona, the ride came to a slow stop. The harnesses flew up to release the riders and Arizona stumbled forward, her legs shaking from adrenaline.

Callie steadied her with firm hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling as they made their way down the stairs, back to solid ground, much to Arizona's relief. She looked around at Daniel who was beaming with excitement as Addison glared at him. Obviously she had enjoyed it as much as Arizona had, she was just a little better at hiding her feelings.

Callie turned Arizona by her shoulders to look her in the eyes.

"Now was that so bad?"

Arizona glared at her. "You are kidding me right? I hated every second of it. You are never getting me to do anything like that ever again."

Arizona huffed and rolled her eyes.

"You should be very glad that you are my friend, because otherwise I'd be awful tempted to hit you with a brick right now."

Callie chuckled and pulled Arizona into a hug, whispering in her ear.

"Well, thank you for going with me anyways. I promise you won't have to do it again. And I'll make it up to you."

Arizona shivered at the sensation of Callie's light breath on her ear and despite the horror she just experienced, she started to smile.

"Fine." Arizona pretended to not care, but she was completely excited.

Callie grinned and noticed Daniel smiling at the two of them while they embraced, wondering why in the world he was smiling so big.

Arizona broke away from the hug, turning to wink at Daniel. This day was going well and she knew he was excited that he had found a way to bring the two girls together without being obvious. Daniel was the best and Arizona would be sure that he knew it. She truly appreciated his acceptance and he made her love him even more by trying to help Arizona have a chance with Callie. And if Arizona was reading Callie correctly, she just might have a chance.

Their stare was broken by Addison who playfully punched Daniel in the shoulder, effectively getting his attention and Arizona was surprised to see that the two were getting along so well. Addison was pretty, and by the way Daniel was looking at her, Arizona knew he shared that opinion.

After watching the Addison and her brother talk for a few moments, Arizona turned to Callie and pointed to the numerous food stands lining the way.

"So, I know a way you can make this up to me." She stated with a smile and Callie looked where she was pointing.

Callie happily pulled Arizona along to the cotton candy stand and bought a big pink ball of sugar for the blonde. Arizona nodded in approval and thanked Callie, peeling off some of the cotton candy and popping it in her mouth, feeling it dissolve almost instantly.

Daniel glided casually up to the two girls, his arm casually locked with Addison's and smiled at the two girls.

"We are going to go play some games, do you guys wanna come along?"

Arizona's eyes lit up and Callie agreed, happy to do anything that would please Arizona.

Callie sucked at games. She could ace all of her work at school and beat anyone at a test of knowledge. But she sucked at games that involved no brain power.

Yet here she was, trying desperately to win a water gun game. She had her eye on a small white bear with blue eyes that she wanted to win for Arizona. It was an innocent gesture, winning a prize for a friend, but she hoped that maybe Arizona would see it as a little more.

The bear was smiling a cute, childish smile and had it's arms open as if waiting for a hug. It reminded her of Arizona and she wanted to get it for her.

Everyone watched as Callie and Daniel fought it out, both with their eyes locked on the bulls-eye where the water needed to hit in order to raise the teddy bear to the top of the game tent and win the game.

When the buzzer sounded, indicating that someone had won, Callie was disappointed to see that Daniel's bear had risen only slightly higher than hers. She sighed in defeat and handed over more money to play again as Daniel handed a cute stuffed animal to Addison, who accepted it shyly.

Three games later, Callie let out a victorious laugh when she saw that her bear had risen the highest and she hurriedly pointed to the blue-eyed bear and proudly handed it to Arizona. The blonde's dimples lit up her face at the gift and she threw her arms around Callie in an appreciative hug.

"Thank you Calliope!" She held the bear tight and a smiled was permanent on her face.

Arizona kept her arms wrapped around Callie and decided to take things a step further, hoping it wouldn't get her in trouble. She whispered in Callie's ear as the Latina had done to her earlier, making sure her lips barely grazed the brunette's ear.

"That was really sweet of you." Arizona leaned away from the hug and smiled sweetly at Callie.

Callie definitely wasn't imagining it anymore. Arizona was flirting...and she liked it.

_'Score one for Torres.'_

Callie was radiating happiness for the rest of the day, nothing could dampen her mood. It also helped that Addison had taken such a great liking the the blue-eyed boy that had invited them here in the first place. They were getting along very well and Callie was happy to see Addison happy again.

She felt better than she had felt for a while when she noticed Arizona happily hugging the prized teddy bear the rest of the day, not letting go of it once.

After several intense rounds of mini-golf, a bumper cart fight, and several other forms of entertainment that did not, much to Arizona's relief, have anything to do with roller coasters, the tired group of friends grabbed a quick bite to eat at a fast food restaurant and Daniel took Addison and Callie home.

Arizona excused herself from the car to walk Callie to the door, still toting her bear around.

"Well, I hope you had fun today, Calliope. Thanks for coming along with us."

Callie hugged Arizona and made a point to speak softly directly into Arizona's ear, continuing their flirting game.

"Anytime. I can't wait to see you again."

Arizona rolled her eyes with happiness and nodded.

"You definitely will see me again soon. We do have class tomorrow after all."

Callie frowned at the idea of going back to school after such an eventful weekend, but she felt a spark of hope at seeing Arizona again.

With a small smile Arizona walked back to the car and waved goodbye. Things were getting interesting because she knew Callie was flirting with her. There was no doubt in her mind anymore that this week would bring them closer.

On the way home Arizona couldn't stop thanking Daniel enough for giving her such an amazing day.

"Daniel, do you like Addison? I mean, I saw the way you two acted together." Arizona asked abruptly.

Daniel blushed and shrugged off her question. But his blush gave him away and Arizona giggled.

"Yeah, she's cool."

He quickly changed the subject to avoid talking about Addison.

"So how were things with Callie? I know she was flirting with you an awful lot." Daniel made it a point to look at the small bear in Arizona's lap.

"Oh, things were good. Things were more than good. Thank you again Daniel."

"No problem, Arizona."

Things were quiet for a moment before Daniel spoke up again.

"You know, I think she wants you."

Arizona was caught off guard by that statement and she laughed nervously.

"What do you mean?"

"She wants you Arizona. When you weren't looking, I saw her glancing at you and her eyes said everything. She likes you Arizona. I think you really have a chance with her."

Arizona sighed and held the bear tighter to her, a sad truth revealing itself to her.

"She's straight Daniel."

At this Daniel simply smiled. He had talked with Addison about Callie and he knew more than Arizona knew at this point.

"Zona, I wouldn't be so sure of that."

Arizona flashed her brother a bright, dimpled grin and Daniel nodded.

"And that's exactly why...that smile right there. I think that smile has the ability to make _anyone_ fall for you."

Arizona giggled and Daniel wiggled his eyebrows.

"That smile could definitely make a straight girl run to the other side of the rainbow."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: Okay, so I struggled with this chapter and the order of how some things should happen later on, so I hope it isn't too awful.

Tell me what you think my loves 3

Chapter 10

Callie flopped onto her bed and didn't bother to hide the smile radiating from her heart. Today had been amazing. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the memories of today as they replayed themselves.

She was proud that she had been able to convince Arizona to ride the roller coaster with her, even if she did use flirting a little bit unfairly to get her way. But hey, she wasn't only flirting to convince Arizona to get on the ride. No, she was flirting because she wanted to. The thrill she got from the way Arizona's eyes lit up when she whispered in her ear was more than enough reassurance to keep her going. And she only got more confident as the day went on and Arizona openly returned her flirting.

Then there was Daniel. He was an amazing guy to be around and Callie was sad that she would have to tell him goodbye so soon after getting to know him. His charming personality and infectious happiness, obviously a Robbins trademark, made him so easy to be around. But she noticed him and Addison talking quite a bit, always glancing in her and Arizona's direction like they were up to something.

Callie's heart suddenly flipped and she ran into her bathroom where Addison was showering.

"Uh, Callie...I really hope that's you out there."

Callie ripped open the shower curtain and Addison screamed, frantically covering herself with her hands.

"Callie, I know you are into this kind of thing now, but, um, I'm not." Addison shook her head earnestly at being nakedly exposed to Callie.

"Daniel." Callie said simply, but with warning in her voice.

Addison furrowed her eyebrows and shifted uncomfortably under Callie's accusatory stare.

"Uh, what are you talk-"

Callie tapped her foot impatiently and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What did you tell Daniel?"

Addison feigned innocence and hurriedly pulled the shower curtain closed.

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

Callie hopped onto the bathroom counter and crossed her legs, prepared to wait until Addison told the truth.

"Addison Montgomery," Callie scolded.

"Did you tell that boy about me?"

Addison thought quickly as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair.

"Of course. I just told him how awesome and nice and...non-violent you are."

Callie rolled her eyes at Addison's attempt to answer the question obscurely.

"That's not what I meant Addie."

Silence.

"Addison, did you tell him anything about me liking Arizona?"

Addison knew there would be no escaping the question at this point.

"Um, well I didn't exactly- I may have mentioned that-"

"Addison! Just tell me what you said to him!" Callie was getting impatient.

"I told him that you had broken it off with George and that you wanted to maybe...try something new."

Callie frowned deeply and glared at the shower curtain.

"You told him I am _gay_?"

Addison shrugged, forgetting Callie couldn't see her.

"Well, not exactly. But I may have let him know that you were...well, that you might be interested."

Callie hung her head in disbelief. This is not how she needed things to go. Daniel shouldn't have known about her. Now it would be awkward and if he told Arizona what he had heard...

"Why in the world would you tell him that? Do you know how horrified he must be to hear that a _girl_ likes his sister?"

Addison mumbled under her breath and laughed quietly.

"You think that it's funny? Really?" Callie huffed.

Addison smiled slyly. Callie didn't need to know the whole truth...she could make it fun.

"He just blew it off actually. He didn't really seem to care."

Callie's mind starting racing through several thoughts at once.

Daniel knows she likes Arizona, sort of.

He didn't freak out...good?

But he didn't care? Why would he not care? That's news that a brother wouldn't take very lightly. Either he was okay with it, or he pretended to be okay with it until he could warn Arizona.

Callie's eyes widened with realization and she came close to ripping the shower curtain open again.

If Daniel didn't care, then why did she catch him smiling at her and Arizona so often. He had been okay knowing that she was flirting with his sister. What did he know that she didn't?

Oh, no, no he cared. Addison was lying.

Before Callie could reveal this to Addison, the red-heads arm shot out from the shower.

"Could you hand me a towel please?"

"Not until you tell me the truth."

Addison shut the shower off and sighed.

"Give me a towel and I'll tell you."

Callie warily placed a towel in Addison's outstretched hand and waited for an explanation.

"Well, let's just say that you may have a very good chance with Arizona."

Callie waited for more, and hearing Callie's silence, Addison appeared from the shower with a towel wrapped around her.

"That's it."

Callie shook her head.

"What? That's it? What does that even mean?"

"I don't know. I told you everything I know." Addison hoped desperately that Callie would believe her lie, or her and Daniel's plan would never work.

Aware that Callie wasn't buying her bluff, she changed the subject.

"So, I'm supposed to head home tomorrow when you leave for school."

Callie forgot her anger about Daniel and frowned. This was going to be really difficult without Addison here to help her through everything. She hadn't even gotten close to getting Arizona and she needed Addison's support if she was going to make it happen.

"Aww, Addie. I really wish you could stay a little longer."

Addison brushed her hair in the mirror, focusing on keeping a straight face for a few more minutes.

"Callie, I cant. I don't think I would make it here. There's too many bad memories here."

"But you have more good times than bad here, Addie. And we could make new memories. Its senior year." Callie started at her best friend with a hopeful look.

"Please Addison? I need you."

Addison sighed dramatically and shrugged, excited at the news she was about to give Callie.

"Well...I guess if you really need me and we can start over, then...maybe I'll stay. I mean, after this weekend, I can think of a few reasons to stay here."

Callie's face lit up at her friend's words and she jumped from the counter to hug Addison happily.

"That's so awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have just made me the happiest person in the world."

Addison snickered. "No, I'm pretty sure that's Arizona's job."

Callie rolled her eyes. "You can come with me tomorrow and register and-"

"Already taken care of. I went by the school during my Pop-Tart run the other day."

Callie grinned from ear to ear. This was going to make things so much easier.

Addison finished combing her hair happily and Callie left to lay on her bed and think about how much better it was going to be with Addison back.

Addison soon joined Callie on the bed and they talked for a while about their day and about what the week would hold. Eventually both girls fell asleep content, each dreaming about a blue-eyed Robbins sibling.

When Addison and Callie stepped out from the car at school the next morning, several friends rushed over, surprised at seeing Addison again.

After many welcome back hugs, Addison caught Mark Sloan's attention. He hadn't seen her since before summer break, since the day she found out that he was unfaithful. He was having a hard time believing that he was really seeing her stand there looking happy to be back. But there she was, socializing with friends as if she had never gone away. She was as stunning as ever and he felt a pang of regret for hurting her.

Callie quietly made her way away from her friends and towards a very confused Mark Sloan. She laid a hand gently on his shoulder as his sad eyes met hers.

"What is she doing back? I thought she moved away."

Callie shrugged innocently, not wanting to admit to Mark that she was part of the reason that Addison had decided to stay.

"She wanted to come back. It's not easy leaving everything you know and love behind."

Mark winced when Addison looked over at him. He had been in love with her. But he made a terrible mistake, one that he knew he could never be forgiven for.

So he would suck it up. He was over her and clearly she was done crying over him, seeing as how she was back and looking like nothing had ever happened.

Callie let out an excited laugh as a familiar blue car pulled up and the passenger door opened to reveal the object of her previous night's dreams. Long, lean legs caught Callie's eye first and then traveled up Arizona's body to eventually rest on her smiling face. She was so perfect.

Mark watched in amusement and interest upon seeing the two girls exchange flirty smiles. His mind traveled back to the way the two had danced together at his party. That wasn't just the usual friendly dance, no it was more than that. Those two had something going on. He raised his eyebrows as Arizona winked at Callie and his smile got bigger. Oh, yeah. He was going to have to grill Callie about this later.

"Hey, Addison!" A voice called from the car and Mark's smile faded as he watched Addison flirt genuinely with the driver of the car.

"Who is that guy?"

Callie grinned, still not taking her eyes off of Arizona as she walked towards her seductively.

"Oh, you mean Daniel? That's Arizona's brother. He's awesome."

Callie waved to Daniel as he drove off, leaving Mark to glare disdainfully at the car.

"I don't like him."

Callie picked up on the hostility in his voice and knew that it was because of Addison.

"Mark, you don't even know him."

"I still don't like him," Mark replied gruffly.

Callie ignored Mark's jealous comments and pulled Arizona into a close hug when she reached them. As she broke away, her nose brushed the blonde's hair lightly and allowed her a dizzying whiff of Arizona's shampoo. Strawberries. Callie's head spun with the enticing smell of Arizona and she grinned stupidly.

Arizona looked on with confusion and a slow smile spread over her face.

"Um, well, good morning Calliopeeee." Arizona drew out Callie's name slowly and it only furthured Callie's fascination with her at the moment.

"Uh, yeah, good morning Arizona."

_'Does she really know how good she is at flirting?'_

As the bell rang to start the school day Arizona locked arms with Callie and with Addison beside them they made their way to homeroom, Mark Sloan walking curiously behind them, far enough to observe Callie and Arizona, while at the same time ignoring Addison.

Homeroom was uncomfortable for everyone as Callie and Arizona talked, trying to ignore the obvious tension between Mark and Addison. Eventually they made small talk and Mark tried to avoid showing the pain that he was feeling at having Addison back here.

When the bell finally rung, Arizona and Callie made a quick escape with arms locked and left Mark and Addison to walk to class together. Callie knew she should have helped Addison, but she needed to confront her feelings for Mark and make sure that the flame they once held was distinguished. So she left them alone, waiting with Arizona in class for them to arrive. This was going to be a long day.

At lunch Arizona was seated across from Callie once again, much to Callie's liking so she could steal quick glances at the blonde when she wasn't looking.

As she bit in an apple she almost choked when she felt a smooth leg touching hers, beginning to travel up her leg slowly. She looked up quickly to question Arizona with her eyes, but Arizona was looking away, chatting animatedly with Teddy Altman. Callie looked over to Addison, seated to the left of Arizona, and Addison shrugged at seeing the confused expression on her friend's face.

"What?"

Callie jerked her head sideways at Arizona and Addison looked over at the blonde, wondering what Callie was freaking out about. When she noticed Arizona's leg was touching Callie's her eyes widened and she shook with quiet laughter. Go Callie!

Callie rolled her eyes then closing them to focus on the feel of Arizona's leg on hers.

_'Does she know what she is doing to me? She is killing me slowly...'_

Arizona let out a soft giggle and Callie opened her eyes to see Arizona winking at her. Callie was excited that Arizona was being flirty first, it gave her reason to flirt back, and now that she knew Arizona was doing it on purpose, she was going to get her back for this...and she was going to enjoy it.

Mark leaned over and whispered into Callie's ear casually.

"You wanna tell me why you are making googly eyes at Blondie?"

Callie shook her head.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Sloan."

Mark rolled his eyes.

"Like hell you don't. She's hot Callie. And she has the hots for you...don't blow it."

Callie couldn't believe Mark was saying this. He must figure that she is flirting with Arizona a little too much to be considered friendly, and she would be lying if she said he was wrong.

She knew it was slowly pushing past friendly boundaries, and she was ready for it this time. She wanted it...

Today was the first lab assignment in Chemistry and Callie was excited. She was a sucker for awesome experiments. Today they would be playing with the effects of acid on different objects...burning stuff...awesome.

Arizona watched Callie set up the lab area and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail to allow room for her safety glasses. Oh, how she hated the safety glasses that they were required to wear.

When Callie saw Arizona wearing the glasses she giggled.

"Oh, what? I know they aren't attractive or anything, but you have to wear them too."

Callie nodded and put her own glasses on, smiling and reaching out to Arizona.

"Yes, but yours..." Callie adjusted Arizona's glasses on her nose and made sure to brush a finger down Arizona's cheek while doing so.

"Yours were crooked."

Arizona blushed at Callie's touch. She was flirting again. Of course. And she was excited that Callie had fired back.

Callie continued setting up the lab and grinned.

"And for the record...those are _very_ attractive on you."

Arizona blushed once more and started preparing the first object for it's 'death by acid.'

As she held the small tube of acid, her hand started to shake, trying to release the acid slowly onto the object, only one small drop at a time.

Watching Arizona struggle with a simple task thrilled Callie. It meant her flirting was working, and she loved it.

Glancing around at the other groups doing the lab to be sure the coast was clear, Callie stepped closely behind Arizona and slowly ran her hand down Arizona's arm, resting her hand atop Arizona's to steady her shaking hand.

Arizona let out an audible gasp and it was music to Callie's ears.

_'Ha, that's what you get.'_

Arizona's lips parted to take in a shaky breath and as Callie's breath tickled her ear, she thought she would faint.

"Two can play at this game, Arizona Robbins."

Callie pulled her hand from Arizona's and pretended as if nothing happened, leaving Arizona wanting more. She was such a tease.

For the rest of the class, Arizona made it a point to touch Callie in the simplest ways, brushing her hand over Callie's 'accidentally', or touching Callie's shoulder when she would make a joke, flashing her dimples very often, knowing the effect it had on Callie. This was going so well and Arizona started to become more confident that maybe Daniel was right. Maybe she had a chance with Callie after all, and if she flashed her smile enough, maybe Callie would come to the other side of the rainbow. She chuckled softly at the words Daniel had used to describe her smile last night.

After school, the two friends said their goodbyes, both pleased with their flirting and went home to tell their partners in crime about their day.

Addison giggled at Callie's happy stories of her flirting with Arizona. She was proud of her best friend. She was giving herself a chance to be happy with someone, someone who Addison believed deserved Callie. Arizona had turned out to be a pretty cool girl and Addison was officially all on board to get them two together, along with Daniel of course.

Arizona discussed her day with her brother and Daniel beamed proudly at his sister.

"See, what did I tell you about that smile of yours? You'll have Callie won over in no time, Zona. If she's as interested as she seems, you two will be together before you know it."

Arizona smiled at her brother. "Yeah, but I don't want to rush it. If Callie really does like me, then it's all new to her. I'm afraid of newborns, Daniel."

She had explained to Daniel the situation that happened in Florida and he understood why she was hesitant.

"Zona, I think Callie really likes you. And that's worth giving a shot. If she wants you badly enough, she will readjust to who she's becoming."

Daniel smiled reassuringly at his sister.

"And for what it's worth, I really think that she likes you."

The rest of the week was full of flirting and everyone noticed. Mark had started to catch on, even though Callie wouldn't admit that anything was going on. Even George had noticed Callie and Arizona's comfortable closeness and he ignored it, sitting with Izzie at a different table for the first time in four years.

Callie and Arizona had become increasingly closer with every day, both flirting mercilessly. Late night texting sprees became a regular routine for the friends as they never wanted to stop talking to each other, and most of the texts involved several winky faces at the end. Someone was going to cave first from all the flirting, but neither girl wanted to be the one.

As Callie woke up excited to see Arizona smiling at her as soon as she would arrive at school every morning, Friday was different.

On Friday there was no dimpled smile, only sad attempts to smile, that never seemed to succeed. Callie tried flirting, but Arizona wasn't playing that day. Something was wrong and it hurt Callie to see Arizona so sad and out of element. When Arizona decided to leave at lunch, Callie was devastated. Not only would she not have her lab partner in Chemistry, but she wouldn't get to find out what was bothering Arizona. She felt lost and she almost followed Arizona, but decided to let the girl have her space.

After school Callie made a trip to Kripsy Kreme and bought a dozen donuts, half of them decorated with rainbow sprinkles. The irony was not lost on Callie as she placed a note on the box and left them on Arizona's doorstep.

When Daniel came home from picking his and Arizona's dinner up from the Chinese place, he noticed the box sitting in front of the door and carried it in to Arizona, who was sitting on her bed biting her nails, tears silently rolling down her flushed cheeks. She was scared of what was going to happen tomorrow and Daniel knew she needed comforting. She couldn't back down now and he needed to remind her of the reason she needed to do what she was so afraid of doing now.

He offered the box of donuts to Arizona and she thanked him.

Daniel shook his head to indicate that they weren't from him and Arizona quietly read the note attached to the box.

_Arizona, I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to see you after school, but I thought you might need some space. I hope these help. I'm thinking of you. -Calliope_

Daniel knew who they were from by the sad smile that spread over Arizona's face. His heart clenched at the thought of Arizona letting Callie get away. Callie cared for her, and Daniel could see that plainly. His sister deserved Callie and he knew that she would need her once he left.

"Zona..."

Arizona met Daniel's eyes and he gave her a warm hug.

"I think you need to talk to her soon."


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: This may seem like a lot of talking, but it's important...I promise...

Let me know what you think my loves 3

Chapter 11

Arizona absentmindedly tugged at her noodles with her chopsticks, not enjoying her food as much as she should. She was scared. She was more scared than she had ever been in her life.

_'I can't do this.'_

Arizona glanced at the doughnut box on the end of her bed and smiled. She wanted Calliope. She wanted her here, in her arms. She wanted to hear the Latina's words of comfort and to feel the way she had been feeling lately, not this feeling of intense dread settling in her heart. But it was beginning to seem impossible.

Daniel watched his sister carefully as her face displayed several emotions over the past few minutes. He knew this wasn't easy for her. But it was vital to her relationship with Callie. If she didn't do this, there would never be a her and Callie. And he didn't want to see that happen.

"Arizona." Daniel drew his sister's attention to him.

"Tell me what you are thinking."

Arizona sighed and put her food down in defeat.

"I-"

She didn't even know where to start.

"Daniel...I can't do this."

Daniel sighed. He knew that was coming. Arizona had been telling him that the whole week.

"Okay, listen to me, Zona. I need you to do this...for you and for me."

Arizona was confused as to what this had to do with him, so she listened to him as he continued.

"When I leave, I want to know that you are happy. I need to know that you have someone to talk to, someone that will take care of you no matter what. And I think Callie is that person, Arizona."

Daniel nodded and threw his hands in the air.

"I know that you think this is the hardest thing in the world to have to do. And I know how you feel. It's the same way I felt when I knew I had to tell you I was leaving. You feel like it will turn out horrible and your heart is going to break at seeing the reaction of the ones you love so much." Daniel smiled in understanding.

"But Arizona, I promise you will feel better when it's all over. You don't know what will happen at first, and I know that scares you, but in the end, it will be worth it. In the end, you are that much closer to Callie."

Arizona knew he was right, but she couldn't push the fear away.

"Daniel, do you really have to leave?"

"Zona, I'm so sorry. I wish I could stay but-"

"No, it's okay. I understand. I'm just going to miss you talking to me like this."

Daniel pointed at the doughnut box.

"That is why you need _her_. She will be here for you when I can't be Arizona," he met his sisters eyes and smiled playfully.

"Just, don't let her replace me, okay?"

Arizona scoffed. "Daniel, she would never replace you. There is only one, smart, caring, handsome brother. And there's only one sweet, beautiful, sexy...umm...Calliope."

Daniel chucked at her comment and she blushed.

"I'm not trying to take your girl or anything, but I'm going to have to agree with you on that one Zona."

That reminded Arizona of something.

"Daniel, what's with you and Addison? Are you two seeing each other now?"

Daniel had taken Addison out to dinner twice that week and had really enjoyed getting to know her. He liked her a lot, and he was happy to know that she returned the feelings.

"I guess you could say that. But, Zona, I don't want to get too close to anyone. It's not fair for them since I have to leave soon."

"I understand, but _C_alliope has told me a lot about how much Addison talks about you. Apparently she _really_ likes you."

Daniel lowered his eyes, torn between happiness and sadness. He did like Addison, but he didn't want to hurt her.

"We will just have to see what happens okay? Besides, we still have to work on you and Callie right now."

As if on cue, Daniel's phone buzzed and he looked to see a new message from Addison.

_Callie is worried about AZ. She hadn't answered any of her texts. Plz let her know. OH and pool time at Callie's tomorrow. Wanna come with me? :) -Addie_

Daniel lifted the phone to show Arizona and she immediately reached for her own. She had been so buried in her thoughts that she forgot to check her phone. Sure enough there were several missed texts from Callie and Arizona frowned.

Stupid thoughts.

Daniel took that as his cue to leave and he rose from his spot on the bed.

"Get some rest, sis. Let your mind take a break from all this worrying for a while. You can do this. I'm here for you, okay?"

Daniel kissed Arizona's forehead lovingly and laughed.

"Maybe you can think happy thoughts about Callie in a bikini while you try to sleep. I'm sure that will take your mind off of everything else," Daniel joked easily.

Arizona pulled the covers up to her chin and finally smiled.

"No, I'd never be able to sleep then." She was so happy to be able to joke with her brother like this. Him knowing the truth really helped her with what she would have to deal with in the morning.

"Goodnight Zona. I love you sis."

"Love you too Daniel."

"I'll be in to get you bright and early."

"Eww, don't remind me."

With that Daniel closed Arizona's door around and Arizona flipped through her unopened messages.

_I hope you are feeling better. Did the donuts help?_

_Are you up for a pool party tomorrow? Maybe it will help you feel better. :)_

_I miss you Arizona._

Arizona dialed Callie's number and smiled when she heard relief in Callie's voice.

"Arizona! Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay for right now."

Callie paused. "You don't sound very sure."

"I should be better tomorrow if I see you."

Callie's voice lifted with a smile. "So you'll be here?"

"Sure, I'll be there. Well, I plan on being there if nothing gets in my way." Arizona hoped tomorrow morning's outcome would allow her to go see Callie. She had a feeling that she would need to see her before the day was over.

"Arizona, do you wanna talk about it? You know I'm here to listen."

Arizona contemplated, tempted to tell Callie what was about to happen. But that would ruin everything. As much as she wanted Callie to know, she couldn't tell her. Not yet.

"I wish I could, Calliope. But I can't. This is something that I have to work through on my own."

Callie understood, even though she truly wanted Arizona to let her in.

"Thank you for my donuts Calliope. That was very sweet of you."

Callie blushed on the other end of the line.

"Well, I remember you telling me that donuts help you feel better, so..."

Arizona smiled happily at Callie's sweet gestures so make her feel better.

"Well, they did help. And I especially like the sprinkle ones." Arizona wished she could be with Callie to wink at her like she always does. That's why she had to be brave tomorrow. Or she might never get the chance to flirt with Callie again.

Instead, both girls only giggled, wondering if the other caught the irony of the rainbow sprinkles.

"So thank you again."

"Arizona, I'd do anything to help you." Callie's voice became soft and sincere and Arizona felt her heart melt. This girl was good...she could flirt sexily _and _be sweet and still win Arizona's heart.

"That means a lot to me, Calliope. And just so you know...I miss you too."

Callie grinned like a lovestruck child on the other end and whispered her good-nights to Arizona.

"'Night Calliope. Sweet dreams."

Arizona hung up and before turning her light out, she noticed her attire. She quickly sent Callie one last message, laughing gently to herself.

_Oh, I'm still wearing your pj pants. Sorry :o '_

A few seconds later Arizona received a reply.

_That's really cute ;)_

Arizona replied with a simple winky face and fell into a fitful sleep.

Daniel shook Arizona awake very gently and she rolled into her pillow, groaning at the clock blinking 5:00 am.

"It's way too early."

Daniel placed a gentle kiss on Arizona's messy hair.

"It's time Zona. It's now or never."

"Can I choose never?"

Daniel pulled Arizona up and led her downstairs. She was too tired to change into more decent clothes, but fear was pushing adrenaline through her veins, quickly making her more aware of what she was doing.

Arizona felt Daniel grip her hand firmly for reassurance as they entered the kitchen quietly to find their parent's eating breakfast and chatting in low voices, as to not wake their children.

The Colonel saw them walk in slowly and looked at the time.

"Guys, what are you doing up so early?"

Her mother looked up from her food and concern replaced the calm face she had previously owned.

"Arizona, honey, what's wrong?"

So it was that obvious. Arizona panicked. Her throat felt tight, her head started to pound, and she was quickly losing the courage to do this.

Daniel leaned in and whispered encouragement, seeing his sister struggling internally.

"You can do this. Callie needs you."

Daniel's mention of Calliope brought her back down to earth and she started to build her courage back up slowly.

"Mom. Dad," Arizona looked to the Colonel who had laid his fork down to listen and the silence in the room was deafening to Arizona.

"I need to talk to you." Her own words sounded like thunder in her ears.

Macy Robbins looked to her son for answers, but his face remained stoic. Whatever this was about, Daniel already know about it. And this didn't surprise Macy since her daughter and son were closer to each other than she was.

"Okay," Macy glanced briefly at her husband. "We're listening."

Arizona took a deep breath and tried to calm her breathing, but found no comfort.

"You want to sit down?" Macy motioned to an empty seat across from her, but Arizona declined in case she needed to make a quick escape.

Arizona was proud of who she was. She was comfortable with her choice to be a lesbian and she didn't worry about what other people thought anymore. She had learned her lesson from the first experience she had with the matter, and since then she decided that as long as she was content with herself, then nobody else's opinion mattered.

Except for her parents.

They didn't know the truth and it was about time that they did. But their opinion mattered. And that scared the hell out of Arizona Robbins.

With Daniel's hand in her own, Arizona looked away from her father, fixing her eyes on the ground and spoke before she could have the chance to turn back.

"I know sometimes you guys worry about why I don't ever bring home any boyfriends. But I need you to know that I won't ever have one."

Arizona continued to stare at the hard wood floor, avoiding her parent's gazes and her breathing sped up to match her heartbeat. This was happening. There was no stopping now.

_'Do it for Calliope. She needs you to do this.'_

"I'm...I'm gay." Arizona sucked in a deep breath at hearing the words fall so quickly from her lips, resonating her scared, tiny voice through the whole room.

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief and squeezed his sister's hand tighter. It was over. She did it.

Arizona waited for what felt like a lifetime for her parent's to respond. She didn't want to see their faces, faces that were surely frozen with surprise, disappointment, or anger.

She waited...and waited...

Silence.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore and broke away from their stares to run up the steps to the comfort of her room.

Daniel wasn't sure how to gauge his parent's reactions. His father was expressionless and his mother looked...confused...but maybe...relieved?

He gave them both a look that silently told them to figure out how to handle things and went to comfort his sister.

Arizona was curled into a small ball of blonde hair on her bed, just as Daniel expected.

"They hate me Daniel. I knew this wouldn't turn out well."

Daniel shook his head and searched for his sister's face tucked into her chest.

Holding her face in his hands, he willed her to look at him.

"They do not hate you Arizona. They need time to take it all in. they love you. And I am proud of you."

A soft knock on Arizona's door led Daniel to get up and leave, giving Arizona one last supportive look.

Arizona didn't want to do this. She knew her father was angry. She didn't want to talk about it with him, she just wanted to leave and see Calliope.

The Colonel watched sadly as his daughter tried to stop crying, tried to wipe away her tears to make it look as if they were never there, trying to appear brave. He had raised her that way, to be strong no matter what, to be a good man in a storm. But he knew she was hurting and it was his fault. She should be allowed to cry and here he was making it difficult for her to hold her tears back.

Arizona avoided his eyes once more as he took a spot on the bed beside her.

"Arizona, why are you crying sweetheart?"

The tone of endearment in her father's voice caught her off guard. Where was his anger? It was probably being saved for later.

"I'm not crying sir." Arizona's voice cracked and she fussed at herself for letting her emotions show through.

"Arizona, it's okay to cry this time."

This caused Arizona to turn and look her father in the eyes for the first time. Her father never, ever showed his emotions, he had been numbed by so many sights of war that not much drew emotion from him anymore. But Arizona was seeing her father about to release an emotion, she just wasn't sure which yet. He sounded truly concerned and this scared her more than anything.

"I only have one question."

Arizona was prepared for something along the lines of "How fast can you get the hell out of my house?" and she braced herself for the blow.

Instead, her father's voice was strong, but soft.

"Are you still who I raised you to be?"

Arizona was shocked. No anger. No yelling. Only kindness and understanding.

"Yes, sir. I am still who you raised me to be daddy."

The Colonel smiled and nodded, giving his daughter a hug when he saw a tear slip from her relieved eyes.

"Your mother and I love you Arizona. You are our baby girl and we are going to support you no matter what."

Arizona's mother chose this time to walk in and give her daughter an understanding hug.

"I'm sorry you were scared of telling us Arizona. I know that was hard for you. But you don't have to worry, because we don't love you any less honey."

Arizona looked between her parents and smiled, thankful that she had nothing to hide from them anymore. She could be herself, she was free. And they were okay with it.

"Thank you for telling us though. I'm not angry. I'm actually kind of relieved. Now I know why you begged me to buy that poster for you." Macy nodded at the Cindy Crawford poster and Daniel gave Arizona a look that said 'I told you so.'

"So, who is the lucky girl?" The Colonel tried to sound upbeat.

The words felt strange on his lips. He never dreamed that he would be saying those words to his daughter. He had just recently asked that same question to his son. It would take some getting used to, but he would never shun Arizona. She was his daughter. And as different as the concept may seem, Arizona was still who he raised her to be. And he was content with that.

Arizona giggled and shook her head. She wanted to tell them about Calliope, but they weren't technically together yet.

"Oh, there's no one in particular." Arizona was still wary about the ease at which he parent's had accepted her news.

Daniel was listening in the hallway and decided to interject.

"Her name is Calliope. And she's gorgeous."

Arizona shook her head at her parents.

"No, Calliope and I are _not_ together."

Daniel wiggled his eyebrows in Arizona's direction.

"Oh, but you will be soon."

Macy laughed. "So you like this Calliope girl?"

Arizona blushed at discussing this with her mother.

"Yes, I like her."

The Colonel spoke up as he moved to leave the room. "And does she know that you like her?"

Arizona frowned. "No, not yet. I don't think so at least. I mean, we are great friends, but I don't know if she has figured it out."

"Does she like you?" Macy asked.

"I'd like to think so, yes. But I don't know. We have never talked about it."

Macy moved with her husband to the door.

"Then what's the problem? If she likes you and you like her?"

Daniel answered for his sister. "Callie just got out of a bad relationship...with her ex _boy_friend. So Arizona doesn't want to rush things."

The Colonel sighed. "You will know what to do when the time is right. But don't set yourself up for heart break Arizona. You are still my good man in a storm."

With that her parents left and Arizona rushed over to Daniel, jumping into his arms excitedly. Both siblings wore matching grins as Daniel spun his sister around, happy that things had gone well.

Arizona felt like a huge burden was gone and now she could move on. Daniel had been right...now she was one step, a huge step, closer to being with Calliope. She stumbled over to the donut box on her nightstand and chose two sprinkled donuts, offering one to Daniel.

He laughed before taking a celebratory bite.

"Rainbow sprinkles? How appropriate."

Arizona nodded and bit into her donut happily.

_'What a way to start this day off. Who knew that things would change so easily once I moved here?'_

Now she could be excited about seeing Callie tonight...

Daniel picked up on Arizona's sudden mood lift and smiled suggestively.

"You know, Zona, if we are swimming at Callie's, she's sure to have on that bikini that I bet you imagine last night."

Arizona stopped in mid bite and narrowed her eyes at Daniel, knowing he was right.

Oh yes, she was definitely excited about seeing Calliope tonight...


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: Man, I hope you guys like this because for some reason this one took a lot out of me. But hopefully it's all worth it :)

Let me know what you think my loves 3

Chapter 12

Callie invited Addison over early to help her prepare for the get together that would take place in just a few hours. It wasn't going to be anything outstanding as it was only her, Addison, Daniel, and Arizona. For once Callie was grateful that her parents were gone so often. This weekend they flew to Miami to visit some relatives for the week, and Aria had gone with them, happy to miss a week of school.

Callie was excited to have the house to herself and she planned to start it off right by having her friends over to hang out and swim.

She had never been proud of her family's money because she didn't want it to buy her friends, but she was glad to have luxuries like the extremely nice pool area in the backyard. It was an awesome place to hang out when her friends were over. And she couldn't wait to have some fun tonight.

As Callie and Addison prepared the kitchen for Callie to cook, Callie's phone buzzed.

_'Can't wait to see u soon! I'm super excited ;) '_

"Is she doing better today?" Addison asked, knowing who it was that texted Callie.

"Looks like it. She never did tell me what was wrong. But oh well, I'm just glad she's happy now. I can't stand seeing her sad like that." Callie's voice trailed off as if she were talking to herself.

Addison handed Callie a pan for the food and smiled.

"Callie, you are Arizona are...good for each other. All that flirting, yeah, you two definitely get along well. A little _too_ well."

Addison took to chopping some onions and look sideways to Callie.

"Are you ever going to tell her, Cal?"

Callie sighed and put some chicken into the pan on the stove.

"Yeah, I just don't know how to. What if she is just flirting for fun?"

Addison looked skeptical.

"Cal, are you _blind_? That girl obviously isn't flirting just for the fun of it. I mean, I'm sure she has fun doing it, because you flirt right back, but...she is taken by you Callie. The way she looks at you says it all. You make her happy Callie. And she'd be stupid not to go for you."

Addison sighed and looked down at the onions.

"And Callie...you don't want to lose her. You have this wonderful opportunity to get to know her so much more. You two would have an awesome time together because it's obvious that you both like each other. But if you don't let her know how you feel soon, then you might run out of time. And you will regret it Callie. So if you really like her..."

Callie stopped and looked up at Addison, waiting for her to finish.

"Then you have to let her know."

Addison was right. Callie didn't want Arizona to get away. She deserved to know, but for now Callie would just enjoy being with her as a friend. She wasn't going to rush into things until she was completely ready. She didn't know how to tell Arizona how she really felt about her. She would have to wait for the perfect opportunity because as much as she wanted Arizona to know, she was afraid of scaring her away. She was afraid of ruining the amazing relationship that she and Arizona already had. Yes, she felt like Arizona was interested in her too, but she wasn't ready to be hurt again.

"I know Addie. I know. I'll tel her when the time is right. Things are just so easy, so comfortable with her and I don't want to ruin that."

The two friends cooked silently for several minutes before Callie spoke again.

"What about you and Daniel? Are you going to tell him that you are 'so in love with him'?"

Callie made googly eyes at the last few words and Addison scoffed.

"I am not in love with him. I am..." Addison waved her knife around in the air searching for the proper term.

"I'm madly in like with him."

She raised her eyebrows, satisfied by her answer and Callie laughed.

"You two are cute together Addie. He's all cute and happy and you are-" Callie shrugged.

"Well, you are just...you."

Addison raised the knife she was holding to point it a Callie. Waving the knife around playfully, she raised an eyebrow in mock warning.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?"

Addison and Callie joked back and forth about their possible love interests until lunch was ready and the doorbell rang.

Callie hurried to the door with an expectant look on her face, and flung it open to reveal a smiling Daniel Robbins. She moved to give him a hug, but was stopped by Arizona stepping in front of him, placing herself between Callie and her brother. With a sly grin, Arizona scolded Callie playfully.

"Calliope Torres, I know you weren't about to give away _my _hug."

Daniel saw Addison and took this opportunity to walk around the two girls and into the house to hug the stunning red-head.

Callie grinned and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh, _your _hug? And why do you think that _you_ deserve the first hug?"

Arizona cocked her head to the side and winked, taking a step closer to Callie, her face mere inches from the Latina's, enjoying the blush that spread across Callie's cheeks at their close proximity.

"Well, don't _you_ think that I deserve it? Would you really choose anyone else over me?"

Arizona slipped her arms discretely around Callie's waist and loved the way Callie melted at her touch.

Callie almost gave into Arizona's obvious flirting, but managed to turn her back to the blonde, effectively releasing her arms from her waist.

"You never know."

Arizona looked surprised and hurt at Callie's sudden rejection until Callie looked back over her shoulder and winked seductively.

The blonde's face lit up at the realization that Callie was playing hard to get. The fun never ended with her.

She followed Callie into the house where she was instantly hit with the smell of lunch. It smelled delicious and Arizona blushed as her stomach growled in response.

Thankfully, Callie suggested that they eat lunch before they started to do anything else.

Arizona sat across from Callie and was completely distracted by the daydreams forming themselves from the sight of Callie's red bikini top strap that showed under her shirt. She suddenly couldn't focus on anything except the thought of seeing Callie in the bikini.

When she realized that all conversation had ceased, she was brought back to reality. Everyone was staring at her and she desperately tried to remember what someone had obviously just asked her.

_'Crap Arizona. Stop looking at her bikini. That _cannot _be good for you.'_

"Arizona?" she looked up to see Callie smiling at her, obviously amused at catching her in a daydream.

"Sorry, I...I didn't hear what you said." she smiled apologetically.

"I asked if everyone was ready to get in the pool." Callie chucked and Daniel couldn't help but to laugh at his sister's reply. He knew exactly what she had been staring at.

"Yes, yes of course!"

_'I am more than ready.'_

everyone got up from their seats, their hunger satisfied.

"Thanks for lunch Callie. It was awesome." Daniel grinned.

"No problem. I've been known to make a mean chicken piccata every now and then." Callie replied happily.

As they moved to the pool in the backyard, Arizona couldn't keep her thoughts away from Callie and her bikini.

Addison and Daniel had run ahead of her and were already splashing each other playfully in the pool.

Arizona took a spot on one of the lounge chairs to pull her clothes off, revealing a small blue bikini.

Callie pretended not to notice how the blue matched Arizona's eyes and how the clothing revealed more of her than she had ever seen. Her body was perfect, curving in the right places, her skin so smooth like porcelain. Arizona was shyly standing to head towards the pool and Callie turned away, starting to remove her own clothes slowly.

Arizona watched longingly, stopped in her tracks as Callie revealed her toned legs and tanned thighs as she slid her shorts down.

_'Stop staring Arizona.'_

The blonde felt her jaw drop at the next thing she witnessed, her daydreams finally coming to life.

Callie was slowly, agonizingly slowly, pulling her shirt up over her stomach. Arizona blinked once and tried to look away, but she couldn't. Callie was making it impossible to her to look away, and Arizona felt that soon it would be impossible for her to stand up anymore.

Her attention was completely captivated by the beautiful Latina before her.

_'Oh, God, oh, God!'_

Arizona thought she would die when Callie lifted her shirt over her head and freed herself of the piece of clothing that had previously hidden her bikini top and Arizona couldn't breathe.

_'She's gorgeous.'_

Arizona had always thought Callie was gorgeous, but as she stood here before her, Arizona came to realize that a half-naked Calliope was even more seductive than a fully dressed Calliope. That was going to be sooo dangerous...

Arizona knew she was staring a little too obviously at Callie, but she couldn't help it. And right now she didn't care. She was not about to miss out on the fabrication of her daydreams.

And Callie played along, knowing Arizona would watch her undress. There was nothing wrong with giving her a little taste of what she could have, right?

Arizona finally forced herself to look away and walked shakily towards the water.

Daniel and Addison had watched the whole thing and both of them watched with laughter as Arizona came closer to them, her shaky movements giving her away. She was completely blown away by Callie's little tease and they both could see it.

Daniel wiggled his eyebrows at his sister as she stood on the edge of the pool, getting ready to ease herself into the cold water. She hated getting into a cold pool and she always took the time to adjust to it slowly to avoid feeling like she would freeze to death.

Addison tried and failed to suppress a laugh at what she saw coming. But Arizona didn't have time to react before warm arms captured her waist from behind and she found herself flying into the pool.

Coming up from under the water, shocked by the cold, Arizona took a deep breath of air, surprise creasing her face.

_'What the hell just happened?'_

The strong arms that had previously held her had let go, and she saw Callie laughing outrageously at her surprised expression.

"Calliope Torres!" Arizona shouted, pulling wet strands of hair away from her face.

Addison swam quickly over to Arizona and whispered something in her ear as Callie swam to the other end of the pool, safely out of reach of Arizona.

She watched a pleased smile spread threateningly over Arizona's wet face and she suddenly became afraid of why she was smiling like that.

_'What did Addison say to her?'_

Arizona started to swim towards her and Callie narrowed her eyes.

"Calliope Iphigenia Torres."

Callie's face dropped, much to Arizona's happiness, as she shot Addison a look of warning.

_'Oh, no she didn't.'_

Addison snickered and hid behind Daniel to avoid the daggers shooting from Callie's eyes.

Arizona smiled slyly and continued her slow journey towards a very agitated looking Latina.

"Calliope...Iphigenia...Torres."

Callie was frozen in place, horrified that Arizona was now very aware of her middle name, a name that she tried so hard to keep secret. And now the little perky blonde was using it against her.

She watched Arizona glide easily through the water and her fluid movements started to distract her.

Eventually Arizona came to a stop directly in front of her and stood with her arms crossed over her chest and her head tilted sideways with the same sly grin. She knew that she had hit a weak spot on Callie and she was thrilled at the power of knowing her full name. Secretly she thought it was beautiful and very fitting, but she would use it to her advantage for a while.

"You think you can get away with that little stunt you just pulled?" Arizona laced her voice with challenge and sexiness, making Callie raise her eyebrows.

"And what are you going to do about it, Miss Robbins?"

Daniel watched the scene with great amusement. He knew his sister...she wasn't a fighter. She hated fighting and he knew her well enough to know what was coming next.

Callie was expecting a witty answer from the blonde, but instead she received an unexpected answer.

"Chicken fight."

"Um, what?" Callie looked around to see Daniel smiling widely. It was just as he expected.

"You, me, chicken fighting it out."

Callie laughed heartily until she realized that Arizona was completely serious and she shrugged.

"Alright. Bring it on, bright eyes. I'm a Torres, and a Torres is hard to beat."

Arizona scoffed at Callie's confidence.

"Well, then I intend to beat you very well, or go down fighting." Arizona winked and Callie gave her a crooked smile.

Both girl's climbed onto their partner's shoulders, Arizona on Daniel's and Callie on Addison's.

Arizona tried to put on a convincing battle face and cracked her knuckles to which Callie responded with a fake scared face.

With that, Daniel stepped closer to Addison and yelled "GO!"

Callie grabbed onto Arizona's small shoulders and pushed against her, trying to knock her from her brother's shoulders. But Arizona pushed back harder, determined to win.

After a few more pushes, Addison lost her balance and stumbled backwards, dropping Callie into the water.

Arizona pumped her fists in the air victoriously as Callie emerged from the water, her face streaked with dark hair.

Daniel let his sister down easily and she swam to Callie with a cute smile. Callie pouted and Arizona carefully moved a strand of Callie's hair from off of her face and tucked it behind her ear. The brunette relaxed at Arizona's touch and closed her eyes as a soft hand stroked her cheek.

"Defeat looks good on you, Calliope."

Callie wanted to disagree, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Arizona's breath was cool on her wet skin and she couldn't form any coherent words.

Before Callie had the chance to respond, Arizona was distracted by the large water slide at the end of the pool. Her eyes shone with excitement and she gestured at the inviting slide.

"Calliope, let's slide together."

Arizona pulled Callie out of the pool, their hands locked together. As Arizona climbed the ladder to the top of the slide, Callie was thankful for being able to go second. From down below she had an amazing view of Arizona's backside. She stared hard, trying not to drool and slowly made her way up the slide.

When she reached the top, Arizona was waiting excitedly.

"Sit behind me and wrap your arms around my waist Calliope."

That was music to Callie's ears. Arizona was _telling_ Callie to touch her, to hold her close, and there was no way that she was about to reject that demand.

Callie did as she was told, her legs spread to fit around Arizona's, her front pressed to Arizona's back. Callie gasped at the feel of herself pressed up against Arizona and she felt Arizona freeze. At least she wasn't the only one feeling that way.

"Okay," Arizona lowered her voice and fought to steady her words. "Now, wrap your arms around my stomach."

Arizona gasped as Callie's hands met her wet stomach and Callie flinched. She certainly hoped that Callie was enjoying this as much as she was.

"Now hold on tight. We are gonna go in together."

Callie nodded and rested her chin on Arizona's shoulder, her face coming intoxicatingly close to Arizona's. The blonde turned her head ever so slightly and her lips brushed Callie's cheek accidentally, causing them both to gasp with pleasure, but neither of them turning away.

"Don't let go Calliope." Arizona whispered into Callie's cheek and Callie nodded.

She definitely wasn't going to let go now...or ever...she wanted to hold Arizona this close forever.

Arizona shook away the shock of Callie's touch on her stomach and her lips and pushed off the side of the slide, sending the two of them down the curve and into the water. When they emerged, Callie still had her arms around Arizona's stomach.

"You told me not to let go." Callie giggled sexily and Arizona nodded.

"And I'm glad you didn't."

Daniel watched from the other end of the pool and shared a look of excitement with Addison. Things were going so great.

The four friends played around in the pool, talked animatedly, or swam around lazily until the sun started to go down and started to cast an orange glow on everything around them.

Arizona eventually got tired of wading through the water and decided to lay out on the side of the pool and stare up at the sunset. She was delighted when Callie joined her, laying down next to her and resting her arms above her head. She was so exposed and Arizona couldn't help but to stare at her body again.

Callie laid still while Arizona admired her body and it excited her that for once, someone was looking at her with such admiration. It felt amazing. She watched Arizona's eyes reflect the setting sun and she sighed. This felt right. This felt like everything would be okay, and she needed to talk to Arizona. But she couldn't. So instead, she started small.

"Arizona..." Callie spoke softly.

"Have you ever been in love?"

Arizona thought before answering. "I have loved so many people, yes. But I can say that I have never been _in_ love. I think it take a special kind of person to make me fall in love with them. And I want it to be a love like no other, a love that takes my breath away and leaves me always wanting more."

Callie felt a tug in her heart. She wanted to be that one special person that made Arizona fall in love with her.

Arizona turned her head to Callie and asked, "What about you? Have you ever been in love?"

Callie frowned at the thought. "I thought I was in love. With George. And what we had...it was love. But...I wasn't in love with him. I wanted to believe that we were, and I even tried convincing myself that I was really in love with him, but I wasn't. I was just lying to myself. And that's not love. No, love has to be more than that."

Callie took a deep breath and met Arizona's eyes.

"It takes two people. And I want to be in love with someone who is truly in love with _me_. And someone who accepts me for who I am, not for who they want me to be."

Arizona smiled. "Calliope...you truly are amazing. And don't you ever change for anyone. You are perfect just the way you are. And people really like you. I mean, some of them _really_ like you." Arizona hinted at her attraction, trying to keep the conversation innocent enough to let Callie make her own assumptions.

Callie smiled in return and felt like her heart was going to burst.

"You really think so?"

"I really know so. And Calliope...you will have people lining up for you." Arizona nodded in affirmation.

Callie giggled. "You wanna give me some names?"

Arizona just grinned and winked, leaving Callie to interpret that as she saw fit. And just as Callie's face turned serious with realization and she opened her mouth to respond, Daniel threw water onto both girls, causing them to jump up and scream in shock.

Addison laughed at Daniel's antics and ran over to the girls, unaware that she had interrupted an important discussion.

"Let's go in and get some dinner. It's getting dark."

Callie followed everyone back into the house to order pizza and stared after Arizona. This was real. Arizona was real. And she had a feeling that the blonde haired, blue-eyed, perky Arizona Robbins was fighting to be first in that line to have a chance with her.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

A/N: OKAY! I have to let you guys know that either this update or tomorrow's will most likely be the last for about a week * don't kill me!** ***

I am still going to write the chapters, they just will not be posted for a while because I will be away from a computer for a week. So I am very sorry, but I hope you will like this chapter and continue to read this story because I promise that it will be worth the wait :)

Let me know what you think my loves 3

Chapter 13

Callie placed leftover pizza boxes in her refrigerator as her friends settled down in the living room to watch a movie, content with the fun they had swimming. No one had bothered to change out of their bathing suits, so they shared two blankets to keep warm in the living room.

As the movie started, Daniel texted his mother and got the okay to stay the night at Callie's. He had a feeling that Arizona wouldn't mind at all, seeing as how she was already more interested in Callie than she was in the movie.

He felt bad for Arizona since she was still struggling with Callie. He knew she was waiting for Callie to admit her feelings for her, if they existed. He knew from Addison that Callie really liked his sister and he could tell her if he chose to, but he decided to wait, figuring it would be worth it for Arizona to hear it from Callie herself.

She pulled him aside when they came inside to eat to tell him that she had made the first move, but Callie never had the chance to answer since he splashed water all over them. So he wanted to make it up to his sister by leaving her to her business for the rest of the night, and getting permission for them to stay over.

When Callie slipped under the blanket beside Arizona, Daniel made it a point to turn away from them and focus all of his attention on the movie.

Callie crossed her legs to sit under the blanket next to Arizona. She made sure not to touch the blonde, so she could focus on the movie and not on the nervousness that she was feeling.

But instead her mind traveled to the conversation had just finished by the pool.

_'She likes me. It's obvious now. She likes me and I like her. God, I need to tell her soon.'_

Callie then remembered the soft brush of Arizona's lips on her cheek. It was unexpected and shocking, but both she and Arizona had felt something electric about the accidental touch, something dangerously sexy about that little mistake.

And Callie wanted more. She didn't think she could ever get enough of Arizona's intoxicating presence. Arizona made her feel wanted. They way she touched her innocently, the way she looked at her, and the way she flirted with her so easily; it was all so exciting.

But that was only a bonus. Callie wanted Arizona because she simply was falling for her, falling herder than she had ever fallen for anyone else.

Arizona cared...she cared for herself, for Daniel, for Callie, and she loved that about her. It made her more than just physically attractive and it made Callie want to have her that much more.

There was a connection between them that was so natural and so easy. It wasn't forced and it was just...always there.

Callie shifted under the blanket to scoot a tad bit closer to Arizona. With a hopeful breath, Callie moved her hand to meet Arizona's, her fingers resting on Arizona's to ask permission silently.

Arizona was painfully aware of how close Callie's half-naked form was next to her. She could feel her body heat radiating on her cool skin and it made her nervous.

They had been this close in the pool, they actually had been a lot closer. But for some reason the closeness now made her incredibly nervous.

She had been brave, had made the first move. She tried to hint at her interest in Callie and now she had to wait and see if Callie had taken the hint.

She hoped that she hadn't been too bold. But no, she kept it non-specific enough to avoid directly telling Callie that she was the one that _really_ liked her, the one that was very eager to line up for her.

Arizona's thoughts suddenly went hazy as a warm hand rested unsurely on top of hers. Callie.

_'Maybe she got the hint after all.'_

Arizona smiled and turned her hand over to fill the spaces between her fingers with Callie's own fingers, happy that Callie was making a move, a small one, but the right one.

This was good. This made Arizona hopeful that Callie had caught on, but until she heard the words come from Callie's mouth, she was not going to get her hopes up too much. She didn't want to crash too hard if Callie was only just flirting innocently again.

Flirting was good, flirting was fun. But she didn't want the flirting to end in heart break. She would have enough of that to deal with when Daniel left in two weeks, so she didn't want any more to add to it.

So she decided to wait. When she knew without a doubt that Callie was truly invested in her, then she would open herself to Callie in return. But for now all she could do was wait.

Halfway through the movie Addison had fallen asleep with Daniel's strong arm around her and Daniel rested his head on hers, his own eyes threatening to close, worn out from the pool.

Arizona was still holding Callie's hand, but neither girl had moved an inch. Arizona guessed that Callie was feeling just as nervous as she was right now and neither of them spoke, not sure what to say.

A soft snore erupted from Daniel and Arizona giggled in surprise, finally looking at Callie to share her laugh. However, Callie only managed a weak smile. Something was bothering her, Arizona could see it plainly. She questioned Callie with her eyes as her soft laughter died out. Callie finally answered by tugging on Arizona's hand and nodding towards the back door.

Quietly, the girls left the room as Daniel and Addison slept soundly, peacefully unaware of everything around them.

Once they were outside, Callie walked hand in hand with Arizona and sat on the edge of the pool, her feet hanging carelessly into the water.

Arizona followed suit and took a place next to Callie, dangling her own feet into the chilly water. Not a word was said as Arizona watched Callie draw meaningless patterns in the water with her foot. She was thinking about something, something important and Arizona took the opportunity to just sit back and watch her.

She couldn't keep her eyes from traveling up Callie's body again, taking in and fully appreciating every aspect of her body, so neatly defined by her small bikini. Her raven hair was pushed back behind her ears and the moon was casting a silver glow on the crown of Callie's head. Arizona smiled at the way it made Callie look like an angel.

When Callie finally spoke Arizona looked to her shyly.

"Have you ever gone for a midnight swim?"

Callie slid easily into the water and turned to face Arizona, her arms cutting small lines in the water with her movements.

Arizona shook her head and Callie reached out to take Arizona's hand and help her into the pool gently. She hated the cold water, but the look in Callie's eyes made her forget about the chilly temperature and she quickly dropped into the water to stand in front of the Callie.

The quiet of the night exhilarated Arizona and her nerves increased even more as Callie pulled her closer to her, both girls finding warmth in the other, a relief from the cold water. Arizona quickly found herself pressed up against Callie and she prayed that the other girl couldn't feel her heart racing.

Callie waited to see if Arizona would pull away and when she didn't she smiled and held the small girl in a loose hug.

Arizona rested her head on Callie's shoulder as she wrapped her arms around the Latina's waist, comfortable with being so close to her again. Callie spoke softly as she held Arizona close to her.

"I love swimming at night. Everything is so quiet and peaceful. You can be alone to float in the water and stare up at the stars. It's relaxing," Callie pressed her cheek to Arizona's soft hair and sighed.

Here right now, alone with Arizona, feeling their bodies pressed together, was how she wanted to stay. She felt her heart start to pound in her chest at the though that this could be it. This could be her chance to make sure that she and Arizona had so many more moments like this.

Callie's nerves rose to an all time high and she tried to calm herself by focusing on the warm touch of Arizona's hands resting on her waist. She wanted Arizona to know so badly and she wanted to stop stressing over the physical tension between them. Every time they touched she felt like she was going to explode with pleasure. Being this close to Arizona now only sharpened her feelings as they were alone and all was quiet. She had told Addison that she was waiting on the right time to tell Arizona how she feels. And now she couldn't think of a better time than now to try and speak her heart.

"Arizona," Callie whispered her name, looking to the sky for strength.

"Hmm?" Arizona didn't lift her head from Callie's shoulder and Callie was grateful for that. It would be a lot easier to do this if she wasn't drowning in Arizona's bright blue eyes.

"Have you ever felt like something was too good to be true, like you were afraid to wake up and see that it was all a dream?" Callie knew it sounded painfully cliché, but she couldn't think of any other way to describe how she was feeling.

Arizona nodded into Callie's shoulder, hoping that this would lead to her discovering how Callie really felt about her. Callie continued as she ran her hands lightly over Arizona's bare back, her body tingling with excitement.

"Ever since you showed up in homeroom on the first day of school, with your perky smile and your bouncing curls, I wanted to know you. Something about you just drew me to you."

Arizona lifted her head and looked into Callie's nervous eyes. She was reminded of how she felt when she came out to her parents earlier that morning and she hoped that meant Callie was about to say something big.

Callie smiled at Arizona to try and hide her nerves, her eyes steadily holding Arizona's hopeful gaze.

_'I'm doing this. Don't turn back now Callie. This is right...just do it.'_

"Arizona, I've had my heart broken, but you...you put it back together without even trying. You are amazing and beautiful, and..."

Arizona waited expectantly, ready for Callie to let her know why she was telling her this. Callie stopped moving her hands against her back and she instantly missed the contact. And she was suddenly afraid that Callie wasn't about to say what she had been hoping for.

"You scare me Arizona."

Blue eyes blinked slowly at Callie's words. That was definitely not what she was expecting to heart, but before she let her heart sink, she realized that those words were not words of true fear, but rather a confession that Callie was finally admitting out loud.

She became confident with Callie's words and she gave the Latina an encouraging smile. She them started to run her fingers lightly down Callie's arm, making Callie close her eyes with pleasure.

The brunette stood silently in the water, her eyes closed for several moments before gathering enough courage to continue where she left off. Everything needed to be said now that she had already started pouring out her heart to the one person that she hoped cared.

"I have never met anyone like you Arizona Robbins. And I-"

Callie stared straight into Arizona's eyes to make sure that she got her point across.

"I want to be with you Arizona. I want to be your best friend, but I want to be more than that to you. I want to be that person that takes your breath away, that one person that leaves you wanting more."

Callie was breathless as she finally let Arizona see into her heart, to see how much she was really falling for her.

Arizona's heart thundered in her chest. Callie had spoken the words she had been waiting to hear. She almost couldn't believe that had just happened. The girl that she was desperate to know as more than a friend had just confirmed that the feeling was mutual. And it had given her reason to keep up her hope of being with her alive.

She nodded casually and fought hard to calm her racing heart. Callie wanted her...and she wanted Callie. She wanted to just revel in the moment, to hold onto the way they both were feeling right now. And with that she decided that now would be a good time to test out just how much Callie really wanted her.

She moved her face slowly to towards Callie and leaned in close enough to feel Callie's shaky breath on her lips before moving to rest her chin on her tanned shoulder.

Callie was obviously disappointed at the tease that Arizona did just now and that gave Arizona another idea. If Callie wanted her, then she would give her a taste of her, but not too much. Not yet. Oh no, now that she knew Callie was completely interested, she would tell her how she felt too, and show her at the same time.

"Calliope," Arizona's whisper tickled Callie's neck and she shivered at the sensation.

_'Good. This should be fun.'_

"Why do I scare you?" Arizona slid her nose up Callie's neck and stopped just under her ear, breathing lightly, waiting for Callie to answer.

_'_This_ is exactly why you scare me._' Callie thought.

She tried to focus on her answer, a task that seemed near impossible at the moment.

"Because you do things to me that I can't even explain."

Arizona knew exactly how to play this one out. She brushed her lips against Callie's earlobe when she spoke and was satisfied to hear a rather loud gasp as Callie's breathing sped up and became ragged with pleasure.

"Now you know how _you_ make _me_ feel, Calliope Torres."

Arizona withdrew her lips from Callie's ear and moved to look her in the eyes again.

"You _are _that one person Calliope. _You_ are the one that I want. I want you so badly Calliope, but I understand that this is a lot for you. You just got away from George and I'm...I'm a _girl."_

Arizona's face turned serious, her sexy smirk gone from her lips. She needed Callie to hear her and to understand, but she continued to explore Callie's body with her fingers to let the Latina know that she wanted her no matter what.

"So I will wait for you Calliope. I will wait until you are ready and-"

Callie quickly grabbed Arizona's face and held it between her hands, her eyes threatening to spill tears of happiness and sheer pleasure.

"I am ready _now_, Arizona. You don't realize how badly I tortured myself with the idea of having you to call my own, constantly wondering if you felt the same way, and preparing myself for rejection."

Arizona frowned and reached out to take hold of Callie's waist again, the water rippling with her movement.

"No, no, I need you to understand that I'm-" Arizona smiled and felt Callie's hands relax on her cheeks.

"I'm falling for you Calliope Torres." Arizona's voice dripped with sincerity that made Callie melt, and the blonde nodded happily.

"And if you are ready, then so am I."

"I want you to be mine. I waited to know if you felt the same way, I just didn't want to scare you away. And now that I know you do, I want to know you so much more."

Callie stroked Arizona's cheek softly with her thumb and watched the familiar dimples appear.

Arizona smiled sexily and pressed her forehead to Callie's, once again hearing Callie's breath hitch at their close contact. Now that they were on the same page, she could have some more fun.

She teased Callie slowly, deliberately, by breathing onto her parted lips slowly. The brunette felt a fire ignite deep within her and she moved towards Arizona, ready to feel her lips on her own.

Arizona let Callie get so close, close enough to almost touch, but pulled back quickly and smiled deviously, leaving Callie breathing hard.

The blonde let her eyes travel to Callie's chest heaving up and down and she started to explore the Latina's body with her hands again, moving them seductively to Callie's stomach.

Callie realized what Arizona was doing and decided to join in, her own hands moving away from Arizona's face and down her smooth neck, tracing small patterns on her skin.

After a few minutes of touch flirting, Callie moved towards the edge of the pool to get out, afraid to let things get too out of hand. But she was stopped suddenly by Arizona's arms sneaking from behind her to wrap around her stomach. Callie felt the fire in her core again and this time it was growing more intense. And when Arizona pressed herself against Callie's backside, the only thought in her mind was _'Oh, God I want her so bad.'_

And she tried so hard to resist the overwhelming urge to kiss Arizona until they couldn't breathe before she found herself being spun around to meet Arizona's eyes, darkened by desire.

Arizona had a hunger showing in her eyes that Callie wanted to see her act on, feeling that look was reflecting the fire that was burning brilliantly in her.

The blonde pushed Callie forcefully, but carefully against the pool wall and pressed herself hard into Callie. This new kind of flirting was turning her on and she needed to feel Callie, to make the the girl very aware of how much she was captivated by her.

Her chest pressed against Callie's, her bare stomach molding against the Latina's. It felt so right, so sensual and she couldn't stop herself as her lips pressed against Callie's collarbone.

Callie moaned softly at the contact and she wanted more. She was so happy that Arizona wanted her, and she didn't mind getting a little taste of what could be all hers if their relationship ever made it that far. So Callie let it happen, innocent touches becoming sexy as Arizona moved her lips over Callie's neck and up to her ear once again.

"You're dangerous Arizona." Callie whispered huskily, obvious desire in her voice, but not wanting to make it more than innocent.

Arizona giggled. Her daydreams were a reality now. Callie wanted her and she wanted Callie and she needed the girl to know that she was more than willing to be with her, so here they were. She loved flirting sweetly with Callie, but a little sexiness wouldn't hurt right?

"You know you like it." Arizona whispered into Callie's ear and winked suggestively, Callie nodding in return.

She couldn't believe how good it felt to finally have Arizona know the truth. And now they could be together because they both wanted it. Now all she had to do was enjoy it and Arizona was making it a little _too_ enjoyable right now.

Arizona's frenzied kissed on her neck slowed from sexy to sweet and she once again brought her face close to Callie's and smiled sweetly, watching Callie's flushed face light up and she knew this was it.

This was everything she wanted and she leaned in close to Callie, their lips only a breath apart...


	14. Chapter 14

Hello all! I haven't written this story in a while, so I apologize….but… I've gotten a few requests lately to continue writing this story…so, let me know what you think. If you think I should continue, please leave a comment and maybe I will have some motivation again if I see that enough people want me to keep on going with this.

:) Thanks loves!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: All television shows, books, movies, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work and the characters, events, and settings thereof are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context and are not intended to be libelous, defamatory, or in any way factual.

_**Author's note: Okay…THIS IS IT GUYS! The response to continue with this story was overwhelming and made me want to keep writing this thing. Thank you so much for your comments, you guys are AWESOME!**_

_**So here it is…to all of you who stuck by me the whole time, I send you a huge thank you. I hope this chapter lives up to your dreams, so tell me how I did, please?**_

_**And hopefully there will be many more chapters to come if everyone wants them!**_

_**So without further ado…the moment you've all been waiting for…**_

_**Chapter 15**_

As ending credits scrolled across the screen with some obnoxiously loud music, Daniel woke slowly, stretching and blinking several times to bring everything out of a sleepy haze. His arm was still resting across Addison's shoulder and her head was leaning on his arm. He moved carefully, making sure not to wake Addison and stood to turn the t.v. off. But he noticed something was different now; Arizona and Callie. They weren't on the couch anymore.

Deciding to leave the t.v. on to have some light, he shuffled around towards the staircase, figuring Callie and his sister had crashed in Callie's room before the movie ended. At the foot of the stair, Daniel caught the light from the pool and saw two figures moving slowly in the water.

He moved to the window to see Callie and his sister facing one another. Maybe things had worked out between them after all. As Callie leaned into Arizona, he knew beyond a doubt that things had _definitely _worked out. Before he could turn to leave them alone, Arizona's face completely covered Callie's and he knew exactly what was happening.

'_No way! Go Arizona!'_

His assumption was confirmed as he watched tanned arms hold his sister close, then move slowly over Arizona's back tentatively.

Things quickly heated up and as happy as he was for his sister, Daniel felt awkward standing there witnessing the scene before him. He had seen enough to know that Arizona had finally gotten her wish. And then he remembered Addison and the many conversations they had shared about the two girls that were now locked in passion outside.

He moved quickly to the Addison and shook her awake gently.

"Addison…" she stirred and Daniel stroked her hair softly, stopping to take in just how beautiful she really was. The glow of the t.v. framed her face and lit up her already fiery hair. He found himself smiling down at the way Addison sleepily rolled over and blinked her eyes a few times.

"Addison, wake up. You have got to see this!"

Daniel hurried Addison to sit up and guided her to the door, the red head still stumbling sleepily against Daniel.

"What? What is it?"

Daniel pointed outside to the pool and Addison squinted her eyes.

"Um…what? Am I missing something?"

"Look at them!" Daniel smiled and Addison wrinkled her eyebrows.

"Look at who?"

Addison's eyes widened suddenly, her sleepy stare now replaced with one of wonder as she saw what Daniel was trying to show her.

"Oh…no way!" Addison's jaw dropped open at the sight before her.

"What happened? Did they tell each other?"

Daniel shrugged and continued to smile.

"I don't know, but look at that! Finally!"

Addison and Daniel squealed happily and beamed. Once Callie's hand took hold of Arizona's blonde head, Daniel once again turned away with Addison following.

"We should let them be now," Daniel sighed happily and Addison giggled.

"Yeah, 'cuz we totally look like creepers standing here watching them make out."

The pair walked back to the couch and laid down again, content with the night's outcome.

_**Arizona's POV**_

Callie's breath tickled my lips as I leaned in closer, stopping just shy of our lips touching.

'_Does she want this? It sure seems like she's into it. Is this too soon?'_

That question stopped me from moving any closer to the gorgeous Latina in front of me.

'_What if it really is too soon?'_

"Calliope?"

"Yeah?" her answer was accompanied by another warm breath released against my lips.

"Stop me if you don't want this."

The stunning girl pressed against me and suddenly her lips were pressing against mine softly.

'_Well…that will work.'_

It was a tentative kiss, despite my obvious want for more. She was waiting for my approval, so I returned the kiss slowly. Our lips were locked, my breath was taken away, and I knew beyond a doubt that I had done the right thing. I couldn't imagine anything more perfect than this moment right now…until I felt Callie's hand tangle itself in my hair, pulling my head closer to hers.

Her lips brushed over mine slowly, passionately, and I could feel her smiling. Now _that_ was perfect…a kiss and a smile from Callie at the same time.

I returned her smile as she moved her lips against mine once again.

Several sweet kisses passed from our lips until we pulled back to look into each other's eyes. Calliope's eyes were shining and it took my breath quite literally from my lungs.

Everything was finally falling into place now. Calliope knows how I've been feeling about her and she feels the same way. Two wonderful things in one day; coming out to my parents and being honest with Calliope. I have so many things to tell her. Before I could speak, her lips were on mine once again, effectively sending all thoughts out of my mind except for the way she feels against me right now. It wasn't long before I felt my hands start to move on their own, moving over her almost bare body. Her skin was so soft and smooth to the touch and I just couldn't stop myself.

I felt her shiver with pleasure as my hands found her head and I grasped at her hair desperately. Carefully, I grazed her lips with the tip of my tongue, waiting for permission to explore the heat that I knew awaited my entrance.

_**Callie's POV**_

Arizona's tongue slid over my bottom lip and my eyes closed, focusing on this feeling. Her hands in my hair allowed her to keep me close and I shivered at the thought that she likes to take control. I held her hips carefully as I met her tongue with mine, holding back a groan of pleasure with the feel and taste of her. The fire starting inside me grew stronger and I pulled her by the hips closer to me, desperate to feel all of her pressed against me. Our tongues continued their battle for dominance until our lungs burned.

Slowly, our tongues fought for control, tangling with each other's passionately. I pulled away unwillingly, only when air became necessary to continue living and I met Arizona's eyes. They were bright blue, ablaze with passion and excitement. I wanted her closer, if it was even possible, but we needed to take it slow. I wasn't going to jump into this like some crazy, lovesick fool. I wanted this to be right, to be amazing. I wanted to cherish Arizona like she deserved and not rush into things.

As we both breathed hard, grateful for the air that we had been deprived of a moment ago, Arizona removed her hands from my hair and slowly ran them across my shoulders and down my arms.

Her tongue darted out again and traced just below my lip and was rewarded with a low moan from my throat at the delicious sensation. She was setting my body on fire and if she kept doing that, I wouldn't be able to control myself.

Realizing our closeness, Arizona took a small step back away from me, her hands finding mine and interlocking our fingers. Apparently she understood too that if they continued, they would both likely find themselves very naked and very much exposed in the middle of the pool.

"Wow." Her word was simple, but so true, and I heard the shakiness of her voice as I responded back to her. "Yeah…wow."

We both broke out into huge smiles and no other words were necessary as I hugged her tight, her head on my shoulder.

It was then that I realized she was shivering, whether it was from the cold of the air, or the excitement of the kiss, I didn't' know. But I knew I wanted to keep her warm.

"Maybe-" Arizona breathed out, still shivering. "We should go inside."

I agreed and helped her out of the pool, holding her hand as we made our way to the house, both of us now shivering.

_**General POV**_

The cold air from the air conditioned house was an unwelcome shock against the wet skin of the two girls. Callie forced back a shout of surprise and Arizona hissed quietly, noticing Daniel and Addison on the couch asleep together, not wanting to wake them. They immediately ran up the steps, Arizona close behind Callie, and ran carefully across the hardwood floors, water dripping from both of their bodies still.

Callie slid in a puddle of water right in front of her room and she grabbed desperately for the doorknob on her door, bracing herself on the door as it unceremoniously flew open. Arizona giggled hard as she watched Callie hang like a ragdoll from the door handle, both girls trying and failing to keep quiet. The excitement from the evening had both girls tingling with a welcome euphoria.

"Shhh…don't wake those beasts downstairs. Addison is a force to be reckoned with if you wake her up early."

Callie searched for some clothes and handed Arizona a black tank top and pink boxer shorts which were gratefully accepted and taken to the bathroom for the blonde to change into. Callie pulled off her bikini and put on her own pajamas, a purple tank top and black boy shorts. Looking herself over in the mirror, she ran a hand through her damp hair.

'_Did that really just happen? Did we really kiss like that?' _She touched her lips softly, the pink flesh still swollen and burning with the memory of Arizona's lips against them. She had been waiting for what felt like forever to kiss that girl…the one girl that had stolen her heart and the only girl she knew that she wanted to be with. She was grateful for Addison and her encouragement and for Arizona's kind understanding.

She watched as the object of her current thoughts appeared in the mirror behind her and she took in a sharp breath. Even dressed in something as simple as pajamas, Arizona's beauty never ceased to speed up her heart in the most amazing way. The blonde looked adorable in her clothes, the black tank top was a little loose on her, but still managed somehow to cling to all the right places. Her hair had been pulled up into a loose ponytail, two stray strands falling to the sides of her face that now had a very shy expression.

Callie turned and offered a smiled to the girl in front of her and Arizona crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a bit self conscious as Callie looked her over. The Latina's gaze wasn't hungry or lustful, it wasn't shy…it was appreciative; it was adoring, slow, and loving. And when their eyes met at last, Arizona saw nothing but softness and respect in Callie's eyes and her stomach did flips. She had never been looked at like that before, but she felt like it was something she could definitely get used to.

"Hey there, beautiful." Arizona's heart sped up even more at Callie's softly spoken, affectionate words and she found herself unconsciously taking a step towards her, her hand forming a mind of its own and reaching out to take Callie's hand in her own.

"Hi yourself."

The two giggled nervously and made their way to Callie's oversized bed, both jumping onto it playfully. Their hands never left each other as they both laid down on their backs, staring at the ceiling as they reveled in the events of the night.

Realizing how late it was, Callie turned off the lamp on the nightstand, knowing very well that they probably wouldn't sleep yet anyways.

"Callie?" Arizona spoke softly and started to rub small circles on a tanned hand. She turned her head to take in the brunette's form, the light from the moon casting a faint, silver glow across her body.

"Yeah?"

"I've never fallen so fast for anyone than I have for you, Calliope. You completely stole my heart as soon as I laid eyes on you." Arizona giggled softly. "And as cheesy as that sounds, its true."

This was her time to get it all out, to tell Callie exactly how much she means to her. They had shared words of confession with each other earlier in the day, but this couldn't hurt, right? Besides, she was curious about the girl's decision to be with her.

"I was so nervous to think of even having a chance with you and at first it felt wrong."

The way Callie's face fell at hearing those words caused the blonde to trail a finger across Callie's soft cheek to comfort her.

"Don't take that the wrong way. It's just…you were with George. And even though I saw you two falling apart, and I saw how he hurt you, I was still afraid. You were beautiful and bad ass, but hurting…and you were straight, or maybe you still are straight, or bi, or whatever, who cares about labels, right?" Arizona was stopped from her rambling by a soft finger against her lips.

"Sorry, I got carried away again."

Callie giggled softly and kissed the girl's cheek. "It's alright."

"So, may I ask…what made you like me, you know, with me being a girl and all?"

Callie took a deep breath and sighed. This was a hard question and an easy question at the same time. She knew her parents would never approve of their relationship, but that was a bridge to cross when they got there. For now, she would tell the blonde her thoughts.

"Well, honestly with you I don't feel like it's any different. Addison gave me this little pep talk." She paused, remembering their conversation. "Actually, it was more like a 'get off your ass and get your girl' talk."

Soft laughter shook Arizona's body at Callie's words. She could definitely picture Addison doing that.

"She made me realize that love doesn't have boundaries, and that includes gender. Now my parents, the world…that's a different story. Their idea of love does have boundaries and it's gonna be hell trying to push past those boundaries and show them that they are wrong." Arizona bit her lip, nodding in understanding as she listened.

"But you…you are so worth it. So here I am... I am falling for you Arizona Robbins. I'm falling hard and fast and all I want is for you to catch me. But you scare me sometimes because you have complete control over me. And trust me, that's something to be proud of because no one ever has control over this bad ass chick." She jammed her thumb against her chest and Arizona giggled.

"I'm trusting you with my heart, a heart that's already been broken and I don't think it could stand to break again."

Arizona snuggled against Callie and the brunette felt her heart melt when she realized Arizona was becoming sleepier by the second, her eyes started to flutter sleepily.

"Calliope Torres…I will protect your heart with all that I have because you are worth protecting. You already make me so happy and I can't imagine not being with you. Yeah, it's going to be very difficult to be with me with your parents' disapproval…but Calliope, if you are ready, if you want me as much as I want you," she bit her lip softly and looked into Callie's dark eyes. "Then may I have the honor of calling you mine? Calliope Torres, will you be my girlfriend?"

A huge smile broke out across Callie's face and her heart swelled with pride.

"Yes, Arizona Robbins, there is nothing I would love more than to be your girlfriend."

Arizona felt like she was on top of the world. She was out to her parents, which she made a mental note to tell Callie tomorrow, and now she had this gorgeous girl to call her own, to try and make happy every single day of her life.

She leaned over and pressed a long, gentle kiss to Callie's lips and felt her heart beat the fast dance that she didn't ever want to go away as Callie happily returned the kiss.

"Have sweet dreams, my sweet _girlfriend._" Arizona whispered and Callie wrapped her arms protectively around her, the comfort of having her so close feeling incredible.

She knew then that this is how she wished she could fall asleep every single night from now on, feeling safe and content with Arizona in her arms. Arizona shifted to press her back to Callie's front, feeling so relaxed and happy with the way things had turned out today. She felt herself quickly falling into dreams of future days with her girlfriend. A smile graced her lips and just as she was about to fall of to sleep, she heard Callie trying to stifle a giggle.

"Arizona?" Callie whispered and the response was a muffled, sleep-laden, "Hmmm?"

Callie grinned like a fool and shook her head.

"You still have my Pop Tart pajama pants."


End file.
